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3S  2507  . S7  1923 
Squires,  Walter  Albion. 
Paul,  the  traveler  and 
missionary 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


https://archive.org/details/paultravelermissOOsqui 


Paul  the  Traveler 
and  Missionary 


Intermediate  Department,  Second  Year,  Part  II 

By 

WALTER  ALBION  SQUIRES,  B.D. 


The  Westminster  Textbooks  of  Religious  Education 
for  Church  Schools  having  Sunday,  Week 
Day,  and  Expressional  Sessions 

Edited  by  JOHN  T.  FARIS,  D.D. 


Philadelphia 
The  Westminster  Press 
1923 


Copyright,  1923 

By  F.  M.  BRASELMAN 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


Preface 

GENERAL  PLAN  OF  THE  WESTMINSTER  TEXT¬ 
BOOKS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

The  Westminster  Textbooks  of  Religious  Education 
aim  to  unify  the  educational  program  of  the  individual 
church  by  furnishing  a  graded  course  of  study  suitable 
for  Sunday-school  classes,  week-day  church-school 
classes,  and  expressional  organizations.  The  lessons  are 
so  constructed  as  to  make  the  Sunday  sessions  largely 
devotional  and  the  week-day  sessions  largely  infor¬ 
mational.  Suggestions  are  given  for  an  expressional 
meeting  in  which  pupils  discuss  the  application  of  the 
truths  they  have  learned  to  their  own  life  problems.  In 
these  meetings  they  also  plan  for  various  forms  of  Chris¬ 
tian  service,  without  which  mere  information  and  formal 
devotion  are  devoid  of  any  great  religious  values. 

Churches  planning  to  use  these  textbooks  will  need  to 
provide  for  one  hour  of  religious  instruction  on  week 
days,  in  addition  to  their  Sunday  program.  In  the  Pri¬ 
mary,  Junior,  and  Intermediate  Departments  of  the  Sun¬ 
day  school,  the  Westminster  Textbooks  will  replace  the 
lesson  materials  heretofore  in  use.  The  expressional 
work  of  the  Westminster  Textbooks  will  supplant  the 
usual  topics  in  the  Junior  and  Intermediate  Christian 
Endeavor  Societies,  or  new  organizations  will  be  formed 
to  have  charge  of  this  phase  of  the  educational  task  of  the 
church. 

The  lessons  in  this  series  of  textbooks  may  be  used  in 
the  week-day  classes  independently  of  the  Sunday  school. 
In  this  case,  however,  there  will  be  no  correlated  and  uni¬ 
fied  program  for  the  educational  activities  of  the  church. 

In  carrying  out  the  plan  it  is  desirable  that,  so  far  as 
possible,  the  same  teachers  be  in  charge  in  all  three  ses¬ 
sions  of  the  church  school.  Where  this  is  impossible, 
there  should  be  one  efficient  supervisory  Board  or  Com¬ 
mittee  of  Religious  Education,  and  an  efficient  superin¬ 
tendent,  for  the  whole  program. 


m 


SUGGESTIONS  CONCERNING  THE  GOAL  OF 
THE  LESSONS  IN  THIS  VOLUME 


Paul  is  one  of  the  most  heroic  characters  of  history. 
It  is  to  be  regretted  that  his  wonderful  life  has  so  often 
been  presented  in  a  fragmentary  way,  so  that  pupils  have 
not  caught  the  tremendous  sweep  of  his  personality.  The 
author  has  tried  to  bring  the  whole  of  Paul’s  life  into  a 
panoramic  view,  and  to  describe  his  career  and  his  per¬ 
sonality  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  the  lessons  interesting 
to  Intermediates.  He  realizes  that  the  ultimate  success 
of  the  lessons  rests  with  the  teacher.  Lesson  materials 
count  for  about  ten  per  cent  of  successful  teaching,  while 
the  personality  and  skill  of  the  teacher  count  for  sixty- 
five  per  cent  or  more. 

The  teacher  must  make  the  great  apostle  live  in  the 
presence  of  the  pupils.  She  must  do  more ;  she  must 
lead  her  pupils  through  the  experiences  of  Paul  in  such  a 
way  that  they,  in  a  measure,  experience  what  he  experi¬ 
enced.  In  no  other  way  can  the  lessons  be  made  truly 
educative ;  that  is,  in  no  other  way  will  they  certainly 
bear  fruit  in  life  and  conduct. 

The  teacher  should  be  in  touch  with  sources  of  infor¬ 
mation  far  wider  than  it  was  possible  to  include  in  this 
volume.  The  following  books  will  be  useful  for  the 
teacher  of  the  course:  “St.  Paul  the  Traveler  and  the 
Roman  Citizen,”  by  Ramsay;  “The  Student’s  Life  of 
Paul,”  by  Gilbert;  “The  Christian  According  to  Paul,” 
by  Faris. 


iv 


SUGGESTIONS  CONCERNING  THE  WEEK  DAY 

SESSION 


The  week-day  session  is  intended  to  be  the  main  infor¬ 
mational  period  of  the  correlated  school.  It  is  highly  de¬ 
sirable  to  have  trained  teachers  for  this  part  of  the  work, 
and  in  most  communities  they  should  be  paid.  Classes 
can  usually  be  much  larger  in  the  week-day  sessions  than 
they  are  in  the  Sunday  sessions.  The  week-day  teacher 
should  make  frequent  reviews,  so  as  to  be  sure  that  both 
the  week-day  lesson  material  and  the  Sunday  lesson  ma¬ 
terial  are  being  mastered  by  the  pupils.  If  necessary, 
arrangements  should  be  made  for  repeating  lessons  if 
they  have  not  been  mastered.  This  will  be  possible 
because  the  lessons  are  not  limited  to  any  time  schedule. 

Suggestions  are  given  for  notebook  work  in  connection 
with  each  week-day  lesson.  The  teacher  should  use  such 
of  these  suggestions  as  meet  the  needs  of  the  class  and 
'  should  invent  other  forms  of  notebook  work  which  will 
supplement  the  regular  lessons  and  add  interest  to  the 
course.  All  the  pictures  mentioned  may  be  secured  from 
the  W.  A.  Wilde  Company,  120  Boylston  Street,  Boston, 
Massachusetts.  The  numbers  refer  to  the  catalogue  lists 
of  the  company  named. 


SUGGESTIONS  CONCERNING  THE  SUNDAY 

SESSION 


The  Sunday  session  of  the  correlated  school  is  chiefly 
responsible  for  training  the  pupils  in  worship.  Wherever 
possible,  lesson  materials  suitable  for  the  accomplishment 
of  this  end  have  been  selected  for  the  Sunday  lesson. 
The  attainment  of  the  desired  goal  will  depend  largely 
upon  the  departmental  superintendent  and  the  teachers. 
If  possible,  each  department  should  meet  by  itself.  An 
opening  service  may  thus  be  built  around  the  lesson 
theme  for  the  day.  Songs  may  be  selected  which  are  in 
harmony  with  the  lesson  materials. 

Every  effort  should  be  made  to  secure  and  maintain  a 
spirit  of  reverence  and  devotion  throughout  the  whole 
of  the  Sunday  session.  Intermediate  pupils  are  old 
enough  to  be  given  a  large  share  in  the  service  of  wor¬ 
ship,  and  it  is  highly  desirable  that  this  privilege  be  given 
to  them.  Pupils  may  be  asked  to  read  the  Scripture,  take 
up  the  offering,  lead  in  prayer,  and  in  other  ways  assist 
in  the  service. 

The  teacher  of  the  Sunday  session  ought  to  be  familiar 
with  the  materials  presented  to  the  pupils  in  the  week¬ 
day  sessions  and  the  program  to  be  carried  out  in  the 
expressional  meeting.  It  is  only  thus  that  the  desired 
unity  can  be  attained  in  the  pursuit  of  the  course.  The 
Sunday  teacher  ought  to  have  the  privilege  of  reviewing 
the  week-day  lesson  and  of  using  the  questions  which  are 
found  in  the  material  for  the  expressional  meetings.  The 
pupils  will  be  all  the  better  prepared  for  the  expressional 
meeting  if  they  have  discussed  these  questions  with  their 
Sunday  teacher. 

Each  Sunday  lesson  contains  a  lesson  prayer.  Many 
teachers  use  these  prayers  for  a  brief  period  of  worship 
at  the  beginning  or  close  of  the  lesson  period.  Teachers 
may  compose  other  prayers,  or  ask  pupils  to  do  so,  and 
the  pupils  should  be  encouraged  to  offer  extemporaneous 
prayer.  The  classroom  worship  may  thus  be  made  an 
agency,  next  in  power  to  the  family  altar,  for  training 
the  devotional  life. 


vi 


CONCERNING  SUNDAY  SESSION 


Vll 


Each  Sunday  lesson  contains  a  suggestion  for  a  supple¬ 
mental  missionary  story.  These  stories  are  all  found  in 
“The  Book  of  Missionary  Heroes,”  by  Basil  Matthews. 
This  book  should  be  in  the  teacher’s  hands.  The  stories 
may  be  told  by  the  teacher  and  the  pupils  asked  to  take 
notes.  Another  good  plan  is  to  assign  the  stories  to 
pupils  in  advance  and  have  the  stories  told  by  the  pupils. 
Thus  during  the  course  a  great  deal  of  missionary  infor¬ 
mation  may  be  given  to  the  pupils  and  the  general  mis¬ 
sionary  interest  awakened  will  be  quite  in  harmony  with 
the  study  of  the  life  of  Paul. 


SUGGESTIONS  CONCERNING  THE  EXPRES- 

SIONAL  SESSION 


The  expressional  meeting  is  of  great  importance.  In 
this  session  the  pupils  learn  spiritual  initiative  and  self- 
expression.  By  carrying  out  the  program  of  activities 
planned  in  the  expressional  meetings,  pupils  make  the 
truths  which  they  have  learned  a  part  of  their  daily  life 
and  conduct.  The  superintendent  of  the  expressional 
sessions  has,  therefore,  a  task  of  utmost  importance.  So 
far  as  possible,  the  expressional  session  should  be  car¬ 
ried  on  by  the  pupils  themselves.  This  is. their  meeting, 
in  which  they  plan  to  put  into  effect  what  they  have 
learned  in  the  other  sessions  of  the  church  school. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  expressional  meetings, 
whenever  possible,  should  be  organized  as  Christian  En¬ 
deavor  societies.  There  is  distinct  value  in  being  thus 
connected  with  a  great  national  organization  and  in  being 
a  part  of  a  community  organization  of  young  people  such 
as  a  Christian  Endeavor  Union.  The  using  of  topics 
other  than  those  prepared  for  the  Christian  Endeavor 
Society  in  no  way  makes  it  necessary  for  the  expressional 
organization  to  be  independent  of  the  Christian  Endeavor 
movement. 

For  the  convenience  of  the  leader  of  the  meeting  and 
the  superintendent  of  the  organization,  the  material  for 
the  expressional  session  is  grouped  under  certain  heads. 
First  comes  a  brief  and  suggestive  study  of  some  pas¬ 
sage  of  Scripture  bearing  on  the  topic  for  the  meeting. 
This  is  intended  for  the  opening  talk  by  the  leader  of  the 
meeting.  Then  come  some  definite  statements  concern¬ 
ing  the  truths  learned  in  the  Sunday  and  week-day  ses¬ 
sions.  These  statements  are  offered  as  illustrations.  It 
is  expected  that  the  superintendent  and  pupils  will  for¬ 
mulate  many  others. 

The  review  questions  will  help  to  tie  the  expressional 
session  to  the  other  sessions  and  will  prepare  the  minds 
of  the  pupils  for  the  meeting  by  refreshing  their  memory 
of  what  has  been  studied.  These  questions  may  be  used 

viii 


CONCERNING  EXFRESSIONAL  SESSION 


IX 


in  a  variety  of  ways,  which  will  suggest  themselves  to 
the  trained  teacher  or  superintendent. 

The  Bible  verses  have  some  direct  bearing  on  the  topic 
and  ought  not  to  be  merely  read  by  pupils.  Verses  should 
be  assigned  to  pupils  before  the  beginning  of  the  meeting 
so  that  they  will  have  time  to  study  them  and  become 
prepared  to  speak  on  the  themes  suggested. 

The  study  topics  ought  to  be  taken  up  as  one  of  the 
main  parts  of  the  session.  They  aim  to  bring  the  truths 
taught  into  direct  contact  with  the  life  problems  of  the 
pupils.  It  will  be  found  best  to  assign  these  topics  some 
time  before  the  beginning  of  the  expressional  meeting. 
Some  will  require  considerable  investigation  and  a  few 
will  require  correspondence  with  Boards  of  the  Church. 
These  ought  to  be  assigned  long  enough  in  advance  to 
enable  pupils  to  make  preparation.  By  glancing  ahead 
at  the  lessons  the  superintendent  will  be  able  to  deter¬ 
mine  what  topics  should  be  assigned  a  considerable  time 
in  advance.  If  pupils  have  given  the  topics  no  previous 
study  and  merely  express  such  thoughts  concerning  them 
as  happen  to  come  into  their  minds  on  the  spur  of  the 
moment,  the  topics  will  miss  the  object  for  which  they 
were  intended. 

The  leading  truth  of  each  lesson  is  expressed  in  the 
form  of  a  law.  It  is  believed  that  some  such  definite 
expression  of  the  truth  will  be  helpful  to  the  pupils. 
Moreover,  pupils  are  given  opportunity  to  subscribe  to 
each  truth  and  to  enter  into  expressed  resolutions  concern¬ 
ing  the  truth.  This  may  be  made  a  solemn  taking  of  an 
obligation,  if  the  teacher  has  the  skill  to  impress  the 
pupils  with  the  seriousness  of  the  matter.  These  obliga¬ 
tions  should  never  be  taken  by  pupils  in  a  thoughtless  or 
irreverent  manner. 

It  is  intended  that  the  class  carry  on  a  program  of 
activities  which  will  be  a  practical  expression  of  the 
truths  they  have  found  and  to  which  they  have  promised 
allegiance.  Conditions  differ  so  widely  in  different  com¬ 
munities  that  specific  directions  for  this  project  work 
cannot  be  given.  The  author  has  offered  in  each  lesson, 
however,  a  few  suggestions  which  serve  to  illustrate  what 
the  superintendent  should  undertake. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

page: 

Preface  .  iii 

Suggestions  Concerning  the  Goal  of  the  Lessons. .  iv 

Suggestions  Concerning  the  Week  Day  Session..  v 

Suggestions  Concerning  the  Sunday  Session .  vi 

Suggestions  Concerning  the  Expressional  Session,  viii 

Chapter  I.  Boyhood  in  Tarsus .  1 

Chapter  II.  In  School  at  Jerusalem .  17 

Chapter  III.  Beginning  His  Career .  33 

Chapter  IV.  A  Vision  of  Tesus  and  a  Changed 

Life  .  48 

Chapter  V.  The  Sojourn  in  Arabia  and  Early 

Days  of  His  Ministry .  62 

Chapter  VI.  A  Second  Period  of  Obscurity. . .  75 

Chapter  VII.  Pastor  and  Leader  of  a  Great 

Church  .  88 

Chapter  VIII.  Launching  Out  on  a  Great  Ad¬ 
venture  .  102 

Chapter  IX.  Further  Work  in  Asia  Minor  and 

the  Homeward  Journey .  116- 

Chapter  X.  The  Struggle  for  Gentile  Freedom  129 

Chapter  XI.  Turning  Once  More  to*the  Mis¬ 
sion  Fields .  143 

Chapter  XII.  Entering  New  Territory  and 

Grappling  with  New  Difficul¬ 
ties  .  158 

Chapter  XIII.  Beginning  the  Third  Missionary 

Journey  .  173 

Chapter  XIV.  Completion  of  the  Third  Mission¬ 
ary  Journey .  188 

Chapter  XV.  Imprisoned  in  Caesarea  and  Tried 

Before  Roman  Governors .  203 

Chapter  XVI.  Shipwrecked  on  the  Way  to  Rome  218 


XI 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


•  • 

XU 

Chapter 

Chapter 

Chapter 

Chapter 

Chapter 


PAGE 


XVII.  The  End  of  the  Long  Sea  Voyage 
and  the  Trial  Before  the 
Emperor  .  231 

XVIII.  Letters  Written  from  Prison. . . .  244 

XIX.  The  Heroic  End  of  a  Great  and 

Useful  Life  .  256 

XX.  Characteristics  of  the  Great 

Apostle  .  268 

XXI.  Jesus  in  the  Life  of  Paul .  280 


CHAPTER  I 
BOYHOOD  IN  TARSUS 
WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

PAUL’S  HOME  TOWN  AND  HIS  FAMILY 
Acts  21:37-39;  22:22-28;  Phil.  3:5,  6 

Most  people  enjoy  reading  biographical  narratives. 
Biographical  literature  possesses  what  we  call  human 
interest;  that  is,  it  tells  about  the  labors  and  achieve¬ 
ments  of  people  who,  although  they  reached  places  of 
distinction  beyond  most  of  their  fellow  men,  were  after 
all  a  good  deal  like  the  rest  of  humanity  in  their  experi¬ 
ences  and  their  characteristics.  No  part  of  a  biography 
is  of  more  importance,  or  of  greater  interest  to  the 
thoughtful  reader,  than  that  part  which  tells  of  the  early 
life  of  the  individual  whose  life  story  is  recorded  in  the 
narrative.  This  part  of  a  biography  is  important  because 
the  habits  of  life  and  the  elements  of  character  which 
make  a  person  truly  great  in  maturity  always  have  their 
beginning  in  the  years  of  boyhood  or  girlhood.  It  has 
been  truly  said  that  back  of  every  great  man  is  a  great 
mother.  It  is  also  true  that  back  of  every  great-souled 
man  lies  a  great-souled  boy,  and  that  back  of  every  great- 
souled  woman  lies  a  great-souled  girl.  Boys  and  girls 
who  in  their  youth  are  mean-spirited  do  not  suddenly 
change  into  adults  quite  unlike  the  persons  they  have 
been  all  through  the  years  of  youth. 

In  this  book  we  are  to  study  about  one  of  the  greatest 
men  of  history.  He  was  a  man  who  was  truly  great 
because  he  was  great  of  soul.  It  is  our  task  to  find  out 
in  what  respects  Paul  was  great  in  character  and  how  it 
happened  that  he  grew  into  the  kind  of  man  he  was.  In 
this  chapter  we  are  to  find  out  all  we  can  concerning  the 
kind  of  boy  Paul  was.  Unfortunately,  we  are  not  told 
much  about  the  boyhood  of  Paul,  but  here  and  there  we 
find  statements  in  the  New  Testament  which  help  us 

1 


2 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


to  form  a  fairly  reliable  conception  as  to  the  character  of 
Paul  in  his  boyhood  years. 

Tarsus,  the  City  in  Which  Paul  Was  Born.  The  east¬ 
ern  arm  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea  is  like  a  great  parallel¬ 
ogram  bounded  on  the  south  by  Africa,  on  the  east  by 
Palestine  and  Syria,  and  on  the  north  by  Asia  Minor. 
Near  the  northeastern  corner  of  this  extension  of  the 
Mediterranean  Sea  lies  the  city  of  Tarsus,  the  birthplace 
of  Paul.  The  city  is  not  far  from  the  sunny,  southward¬ 
facing  shore  and  back  of  it  rise  the  Taurus  Mountains 
like  a  great  wall  shutting  out  the  cold  northern  winds 
and  giving  the  whole  region  a  climate  which  is  delightful. 
In  Paul’s  day  the  city  lay  on  both  sides  of  the  Cydnus 
river,  a  clear  stream  which  comes  down  from  the  moun¬ 
tains  and  empties  into  the  sea  a  short  distance  southwest 
of  Tarsus. 

The  soil  about  Tarsus  is  remarkably  fertile  and  fields 
of  wheat  and  barley  stretch  from  the  suburbs  of  the  city 
away  to  the  foot  of  the  Taurus  range.  Within  the  city 
are  extensive  groves  of  orange,  lemon,  and  pomegranate 
trees.  On  the  foothills  of  the  mountains  are  some  of  the 
finest  apple  and  cherry  orchards  to  be  found  in  Asia 
Minor.  The  surroundings  of  the  city  were  much  the  same 
in  Paul’s  time  as  they  are  now.  The  same  mountains 
darkly  clad  in  forest  growths  rose  against  the  northern 
skyline.  The  same  sparkling  sea  rippled  along  the  sandy 
shore  just  south  of  the  city.  Doubtless  the  same  kinds  of 
trees  were  cultivated  within  the  city  and  fields  of  grain 
surrounded  it  then  as  now. 

Tarsus  was  an  ancient  city  even  in  the  days  of  Paul. 
It  was  then  more  than  a  thousand  years  old.  It  is  men¬ 
tioned  in  an  inscription  made  in  the  time  of  the  Assyrian 
king,  Shalmaneser  II,  who  conquered  Cilicia  in  833  B.  C. 
Since  it  was  one  of  the  chief  cities  of  the  region  in  the 
days  of  the  Assyrians,  it  was  probably  several  centuries 
old  at  the  time  when  it  was  taken  by  Shalmaneser. 

Tarsus  has  always  been  an  important  commercial 
center.  The  great  highways  of  commerce  and  travel 
center  there.  In  the  days  of  Paul  vessels  of  seagoing 
proportions  could  ascend  the  Cydnus  to  Tarsus,  so  that 
the  city  was  a  seaport  as  well  as  a  center  for  the  overland 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


3 


trade  routes.  Paul  thus  grew  up  in  a  city  which  was  in 
touch  with  all  the  world  that  was  known  at  that  time. 
Caravans  from  Egypt  came  up  the  highway  along  the 
coasts  of  Palestine  and  Syria  through  Tyre  and  Sidon 
and  Antioch  around  the  northeastern  corner  of  the  Med¬ 
iterranean  Sea  to  Tarsus.  Phoenician  ships  called 
there  on  their  way  to  the  distant  lands  of  the  west. 
Traders  from  the  Euphrates  valley  brought  their  goods 
across  the  deserts  to  the  markets  of  Tarsus.  Herders 
and  farmers  from  the  Taurus  Mountains  and  the  regions 
beyond  came  hither  driving  their  flocks  and  exchanging 
their  produce  for  goods  of  Persian,  Egyptian,  or  Phoeni¬ 
cian  manufacture. 

Tarsus  was  a  center  of  learning.  Greek  schools  of 
philosophy,  the  universities  of  that  day,  flourished  there. 
Paul  grew  up  in  the  atmosphere  of  a  university  town. 
Education  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  the  city  of  his 
birth.  Perhaps  this  is  one  reason  why  Tarsus  was  the 
cradle  of  a  good  many  men  who  climbed  to  places  of 
distinction  as  teachers,  philosophers,  poets,  and  authors. 
Nearly  a  dozen  famous  men  besides  Paul  were  born  in 
Tarsus,  or  received  their  boyhood  training  there. 

Loyal  to  the  Old  Home  Town.  We  may  be  sure  that 
Paul  was,  as  a  boy,  intensely  loyal  to  the  city  of  his  birth. 
He  never  lost  his  sense  of  loyalty  to  his  native  city. 
After  he  had  been  away  from  Tarsus  for  many  years  he 
was  one  day  mobbed  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem  by  his 
enraged  Jewish  brethren  who  charged  him  with  having 
profaned  the  Temple.  Paul  was  rescued  from  the  mob 
by  a  band  of  soldiers,  led  by  the  Roman  captain  who  was 
stationed  in  the  Temple  to  keep  the  peace  in  just  such 
times  of  popular  tumult  as  had  now  arisen.  This  cen¬ 
turion  thought  that  Paul  must  be  a  certain  Egyptian 
outlaw  who  had  before  made  much  trouble  in  the  country. 
Thus  accused  by  his  enemies  of  having  broken  the  Jewish 
law  by  profaning  the  Temple,  and  suspected  by  the  cen¬ 
turion  of  being  an  outlaw  bandit,  Paul  straightened  him¬ 
self  up  before  the  Roman  centurion  and  looking  him  in  the 
face  said,  “I  am  a  Jew,  of  Tarsus  in  Cilicia,  a  citizen  of  no 
mean  city.”  As  a  boy  Paul  had  developed  that  spirit  of 
loyalty  which  says,  “This  is  my  own,  my  native  land.” 


4 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


The  Jews  of  the  Dispersion.  By  the  beginning  of  the 
first  century,  the  Jews  had  become  scattered  over  all  the 
known  world.  Some  had  gone  out  from  Palestine  to 
engage  in  trade  among  Gentile  peoples.  Some  had  been 
carried  away  as  captives  and  their  descendants  had  con¬ 
tinued  to  live  in  the  land  of  exile.  These  Jews  who  were 
scattered  over  the  portions  of  the  world  outside  of  Pales¬ 
tine  were  called  the  Dispersion.  For  the  most  part  they 
clung  tenaciously  to  the  religion  of  their  forefathers. 
Wherever  there  were  enough  of  them  in  a  city  or  town, 
they  built  a  synagogue  and  there  they  worshiped  Jehovah 
on  their  Sabbath  Day.  They  read  the  Law  of  Moses  in 
their  Sabbath  worship  and  it  was  the  textbook  for  their 
synagogue  schools.  In  time  most  of  the  Jews  of  the 
Dispersion  ceased  to  speak  or  understand  the  language 
of  their  ancestors.  Most  of  them  came  to  speak  the 
Greek  language.  They  still  kept  up  the  reading  of  the 
Law,  however,  and  they  employed  a  rabbi  who  was  able 
to  read  the  Law  in  the  ancient  tongue  and  to  explain  it 
to  them.  After  a  time  some  of  the  Jews  living  in  Alex¬ 
andria  translated  the  Old  Testament  into  Greek  so  that 
the  Jews  of  the  Dispersion  after  that  time  had  their  Bible 
in  a  tongue  that  they  could  understand.  Paul’s  family 
belonged  to  the  Jews  of  the  Dispersion.  We  may,  there¬ 
fore,  think  of  him  as  speaking  the  Greek  language  in  his 
boyhood  and  attending  a  synagogue  school  where  he 
committed  to  memory  long  sections  of  the  Greek  trans¬ 
lation  of  the  Old  Testament.  The  language  spoken  by 
the  Jews  of  Palestine  of  that  day  is  called  Aramaic.  Paul 
may  have  learned  to  speak  it  as  a  boy  or  he  may  have 
learned  it  after  going  to  Jerusalem  to  attend  school  there. 

Roman  Citizenship.  In  the  first  century  it  was  a  great 
advantage  to  any  person  to  be  counted  a  citizen  of  the 
Roman  Empire.  Not  all  of  the  people  living  under  the  gov¬ 
ernment  of  Rome  were  citizens  of  Rome.  Indeed,  the 
number  of  Roman  citizens  was  comparatively  small.  The 
group  of  Roman  citizens  consisted  of  the  descendants  of 
the  people  who  had  been  the  founders  of  the  city  which 
had  conquered  the  world,  of  certain  others  who  had  been 
honored  with  the  gift  of  citizenship  for  some  distin¬ 
guished  service  which  they  or  their  city  had  performed 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


5 


for  the  Roman  Government,  and  of  a  few  others  who  had 
been  able  to  secure  the  prize  through  political  trickery 
or  by  outright  purchase.  Paul’s  family  were  citizens  of 
the  Roman  Empire.  How  they  secured  this  honorable 
distinction  we  do  not  know.  It  seems  likely  that  it  had 
been  bestowed  upon  Paul’s  father  or  some  of  his  ancestors 
further  back  as  a  reward  for  distinguished  service.  Paul 
often  spoke  of  his  Roman  citizenship  and  sometimes  used 
it  to  save  himself  from  insult  and  to  defeat  the*  designs 
of  his  enemies.  He  seemed  in  a  way  proud  of  the  fact 
that  he  was  a  citizen  of  Rome.  We  may  believe,  there¬ 
fore,  that  this  distinction  had  been  won  in  a  worthy  man¬ 
ner  by  some  one  of  his  forefathers. 

Greek  Civilization.  The  Greeks  had  brought  to  the 
world  a  golden  age  of  art,  poetry,  and  philosophy.  Their 
architecture,  sculpture,  and  literary  works  had  neve,r  been 
equaled  in  the  history  of  the  world,  and  have  hardly  been 
surpassed  in  the  centuries  which  have  followed  them. 
In  the  days  of  Paul’s  boyhood  the  glory  of  Greek  art  and 
culture  was  still  vivid  and  it  must  have  been  especially 
so  in  a  city  like  Tarsus.  Paul  was  thus  brought  into 
contact  with  influences  which  were  powerfully  educative 
in  every  way.  Early  contact  with  Greek  learning  helped 
him  to  develop  the  ability  to  think  clearly,  deeply,  and 
logically  on  the  greatest  themes  that  have  ever  engaged 
the  thought  of  mankind. 

A  Pharisee  of  Pharisees.  And  yet  neither  Roman  citi¬ 
zenship  nor  contact  with  Greek  culture  had  lessened  in 
the  least  the  loyalty  of  Paul’s  family  to  the  religion  of 
the  Jews.  They  were  all  the  more  devoted  to  Jehovah 
their  God  because  their  minds  had  been  widened  by  con¬ 
tact  with  the  big  world  in  which  they  lived.  Paul  in  one 
of  his  letters  describes  himself  as  “a  Pharisee,  a  son  of 
Pharisees.”  He  means  that  he  and  his  family  belonged 
to  that  section  of  the  Jewish  people  who  were  intensely 
loyal  to  the  law  of  Moses  and  who  believed  that  in  keep¬ 
ing  its  every  precept  they  could  arrive  at  a  true  and 
satisfying  righteousness.  His  family  were  not  Herodians, 
crafty  politicians  who  were  self-seekers  and  who  were 
willing  to  compromise  religious  matters  to  almost  any 
extent  in  order  to  gain  preeminence  and  power.  Neither 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


6 

were  his  relatives  Sadducees,  materialistic  philosophers 
who  denied  the  future  life  and  the  existence  of  the  soul 
and  who  as  a  consequence  lived  lives  devoid  of  noble 
ideals.  Paul’s  relatives  were  Pharisees,  intensely  loyal 
to  all  things  Jewish,  hoping  for  the  establishment  of  the 
Messianic  Kingdom  which  God  had  promised  to  David, 
but  not  without  an  admixture  of  self-righteousness  and 
narrowness  which  made  them  bitterly  intolerant  toward 
all  who  happened  to  differ  from  them  in  matters  of  reli¬ 
gion.  So  there  were  some  advantages  and  some  serious 
disadvantages  in  the  religious  background  of  Paul’s  life. 

Called  of  God  from  the  Day  of  His  Birth.  When  Paul 
was  in  the  midst  of  his  great  life  task  of  bringing  the 
gospel  to  the  Gentiles,  he  one  day  wrote  to  the  people  of 
a  church  which  he  had  organized  telling  them  that  God 
had  “separated  .  .  .  and  called”  him  to  this  work  from 
the  very  day  of  his  birth.  As  Paul  looked  back  over  the 
days  and  years  of  his  childhood,  youth,  and  manhood,  he 
was  convinced  that  there  was  a  Power  which  had  been 
directing  his  life  from  its  very  beginning  and  fitting  him 
for  the  work  in  which  he  was  then  engaged.  The  home 
life  in  Tarsus,  the  contact  with  Greek  learning,  the  train¬ 
ing  in  the  synagogue  schools,  the  experiences  of  his 
young  manhood  and  of  his  later  years,  all  seemed  to  Paul 
to  have  been  so  planned  as  to  give  him  a  fitness  for  the 
task  to  which  he  was  giving  his  life.  Paul  could  not 
believe  that  this  was  mere  chance ;  he  believed  that  the 
hand  of  God  had  guided  his  life.  Most  people  whose  lives 
really  count  for  anything  of  lasting  value  have  reached 
the  same  conclusion  that  Paul  reached.  They  have  come 
to  know  that  they  were  working  under  that  all-knowing 
Intelligence  which  we  call  Providence  and  God.  It  is  a 
good  thing  for  boys  and  girls  to  reach  this  understanding 
at  an  early  age  so  that  they  may  know  how  to  yield  their 
lives  fully  to  the  divine  guidance  and  cooperate  fully 
with  their  Creator  in  the  life  task  to  which  his  wisdom 
has  assigned  them. 

Suggestions  tor  Notebook  Work 

Have  pupils  draw  an  outline  map  of  the  countries  sur¬ 
rounding  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  This  map  may  be  drawn 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


7 


in  their  notebooks  or  larger  maps  may  be  made  for  the 
wall.  These  maps  should  be  on  good  paper  and  drawn  in 
ink,  as  they  are  to  be  used  throughout  the  course.  Locate 
on  the  map  the  city  of  Tarsus,  the  Taurus  Mountains,  and 
the  highways  leading  to  Tarsus.  Have  pupils  write  a  let¬ 
ter,  such  as  Paul  might  have  written  at  the  age  of  twelve, 
to  a  boy  friend  who  had  gone  from  Tarsus  to  attend  the 
great  school  of  the  rabbis  in  Jerusalem.  Frontispiece 
picture:  St.  Paul,  by  Fra  Bartolommeo,  No.  452. 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

PAUL’S  EARLY  EDUCATION 

Acts  18:1-4;  Rom.  1 :8-17 

Most  of  the  people  who  became  followers  of  Jesus  dur¬ 
ing  the  days  of  his  ministry  were  not  highly  educated. 
None  of  the  twelve  apostles  had  received  what  would 
correspond  in  our  day  to  a  college  education.  They  could 
probably  all  read  and  write  but  none  had  attended,  so 
far  as  we  know,  any  institution  of  higher  learning  which 
was  like  the  colleges  and  universities  of  our  times.  Paul, 
however,  was  a  highly  educated  man.  He  had  been 
taught  in  the  best  schools  of  the  Jewish  people  and  had 
come  into  contact  with  the  Greek  culture  and  the  Roman 
civilization  of  his  time  in  a  very  intimate  way.  We  do 
not  know  that  he  ever  attended  a  Greek  school  of  philos¬ 
ophy,  though  he  may  have  done  so,  and  we  have  evi¬ 
dence  that  he  was  acquainted  with  Greek  literature,  at 
least  to  a  certain  extent.  In  this  lesson  we  are  to  learn 
about  the  earlier  years  of  Paul’s  student  life,  the  years 
which  he  spent  in  the  schools  of  Tarsus,  before  he  went 
up  to  Jerusalem  to  attend  the  great  schools  of  the  rabbis. 

The  Synagogue  School.  In  a  city  like  Tarsus  there 
was  always  a  school  connected  with  the  Jewish  syna¬ 
gogue  and  it  is  certain  that  Paul  received  his  first  instruc¬ 
tion  in  such  a  school.  He  probably  entered  the  syna¬ 
gogue  school  at  about  the  age  of  six  and  attended  it  for 
six  or  seven  years.  Here  Paul  would  learn  to  read  and 
write  the  language  of  his  father  and  mother.  In  some 


8 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


cases  this  might  be  Greek;  in  other  cases  it  might  be 
Aramaic,  the  language  spoken  by  the  Jews  living  in 
Palestine.  The  pupils  of  the  synagogue  school  likewise 
received  some  instruction  in  the  rudiments  of  such  sub¬ 
jects  as  arithmetic,  but  the  great  subject  of  instruction 
was  the  Law  of  Moses,  and  other  parts  of  the  Old  Testa¬ 
ment.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  memorizing.  The 
teacher  alone  had  a  book,  for  books  were  too  expensive 
to  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  pupils.  The  teacher 
would  read  or  repeat  from  memory  some  Old  Testament 
passage,  usually  some  extract  from  the  Law  of  Moses. 
The  pupils  would  repeat  the  words  after  their  teacher. 
This  was  kept  up  day  after  day  until  the  pupils  came  to 
know,  and  to  be  able  to  recite,  page  after  page  of  the 
Old  Testament  Scriptures.  They  memorized  not  only 
the  Law  of  Moses  but  also  some  of  the  interpretations 
of  the  Law  which  had  been  made  centuries  before  by 
the  great  teachers  of  the  Hebrew  people. 

The  kind  of  school  which  we  have  described  would 
not  be  thought  very  admirable  in  our  day  but  it  had  some 
points  in  its  favor.  It  gave  the  pupils  a  wide  and  thor¬ 
ough  knowledge  of  the  Bible  as  it  then  existed.  This 
was  of  great  use  to  Paul  in  his  life  work.  Indeed,  we 
must  believe  that  he  would  have  been  unfitted  for  his 
life  task,  if  he  had  not  had  this  extensive  knowledge 
concerning  the  subject  matter  of  the  Old  Testament. 

Choosing  a  Life  Task.  Everything  indicates  that  Paul 
was  a  studious  boy.  He  evidently  delighted  his  teachers 
for  he  certainly  mastered  the  subject  matter  of  the  Old 
Testament  and  that  was  what  his  teachers  desired  more 
than  anything  else.  Paul  took  to  learning  so  naturally 
that  we  are  not  surprised  to  find  that  he  decided  to  give 
his  life  to  teaching.  He  decided  to  become  a  rabbi. 
From  the  time  of  this  decision,  he  would  be  planning 
to  continue  his  education  in  some  institution  of  higher 
learning.  Very  naturally  he  would  turn  his  thoughts 
toward  Jerusalem.  The  greatest  schools  of  his  race  were 
there.  Jerusalem  was  for  him  and  his  family  a  sacred 
city,  the  chosen  dwelling  place  of  Jehovah,  the  God  of  the 
Jews,  the  site  of  the  great  Temple  which  marked  the 
center  of  the  Jewish  religion  and  the  Jewish  nation. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


9 


Learning  a  Trade.  Since  no  rabbi  of  that  time  could 
depend  upon  his  teaching  for  a  living,  it  was  necessary 
for  every  teacher  to  have  some  other  means  of  earning 
an  income  sufficient  to  support  himself  and  his  family  if 
he  were  to  have  a  family.  Consequently  boys  who  ex¬ 
pected  to  become  rabbis  learned  some  trade  whereby 
they  could  support  themselves  either  wholly  or  in  part. 
Paul  chose  the  trade  of  a  tentmaker,  that  is,  he  learned 
how  to  make  a  kind  of  coarse  haircloth  out  of  which  the 
tents  of  that  time  were  made.  Cilicia  was  noted  for  this 
industry.  The  cloth  made  in  Tarsus  was  manufactured 
out  of  the  hair  of  goats  and  seems  to  have  been  highly 
prized  among  the  many  tent-dwelling  tribes  which  were 
scattered  over  the  semiarid  districts  bordering  upon 
Cilicia.  It  was  a  most  fortunate  thing  for  Paul  that  his 
parents  were  wise  enough  to  insist  upon  his  learning  a 
trade.  His  life  work  led  him  into  many  situations  where 
it  would  have  been  very  difficult  for  him  to  make  a  living 
had  he  not  had  this  one  thing  which  he  could  do  to  earn 
money.  It  is  a  good  thing  for  young  persons  to  do  as 
Paul  did,  that  is,  to  attain  a  skill  in  some  trade  or  occupa¬ 
tion.  Such  a  skill  will  be  a  lifelong  advantage  and  enable 
them  to  assume  an  independence  which  hardly  any  other 
possession  can  insure.  Paul  could  go  almost  anywhere 
and  be  reasonably  sure  that  if  he  ran  out  of  money  he 
could  quickly  .secure  employment.  Tent-making  was  an 
industry  something  like  shoemaking,  or  shoe-repairing 
in  our  times.  Practically  every  town  or  city  had  its  tent¬ 
manufacturing  industry. 

Learning  to  be  a  tentmaker  was  something  more  than  a 
convenient  acquisition  for  Paul.  It  was  an  important 
element  in  his  education.  It  is  thought  that  the  Jewish 
boy  usually  completed  the  synagogue  school  at  about  the 
age  of  thirteen.  If  he  went  on  to  a  higher  school,  he 
usually  began  this  further  study  at  about  the  age  of 
fifteen.  So  it  is  probable  that  Paul  worked  for  some  two 
years  before  going  away  to  school.  This  experience 
would  be  very  helpful  to  him.  It  would  make  him 
acquainted  with  the  people  who  toil  with  their  hands. 
He  would  learn  to  look  at  life  and  its  problems  somewhat 
from  the  point  of  view  of  the  workman  of  the  streets.  As 


10 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


we  study  the  life  of  Paul,  we  shall  see  that  he  had  a  re¬ 
markable  ability  to  win  all  sorts  of  people.  He  could 
speak  to  a  throng  of  cultured  Athenians,  the  most  highly 
educated  people  of  the  day,  and  he  could  meet  them  on 
their  own  ground,  quoting  from  the  poets  with  whose 
writings  they  were  familiar  and  discussing  with  them 
the  deep  things  of  philosophy.  He  could  likewise  sit 
down  in  his  prison  cell  with  a  poor  runaway  slave  who 
had  in  all  probability  never  learned  to  read  a  word,  and 
he  could  make  this  slave  understand  the  love  of  God 
and  the  plans  of  salvation  which  God  has  revealed  in 
the  life  and  teachings  of  Jesus.  If  he  had  not  had  the 
kind  of  schooling  he  secured  in  the  tentmaker’s  shop  and 
had  received  only  the  education  which  the  schools  could 
give,  he  might  have  interested  the  Athenians,  but  he 
would  have  found  it  difficult  to  interest  and  instruct  the 
slave. 

Learning  to  be  a  tentmaker  and  working  at  his  trade 
helped  Paul  to  be  democratic.  It  widened  his  sympathies. 
Without  some  such  experience  his  school  studies  might 
have  resulted  in  putting  him  to  a  certain  extent  out  of 
touch  with  the  life  of  the  multitudes.  Many  learned  men 
have  not  accomplished  very  much  in  life  because  their 
learning  was  a  barrier  separating  them  from  the  com¬ 
mon  people  whom  they  might  have  helped  had  they 
understood  them  and  had  they  possessed  a  real  sympathy 
for  them. 

The  Educational  Influence  of  a  Cultured  Home.  There 
were  other  educational  influences  around  Paul  besides  the 
influence  of  the  schools  he  attended  as  a  boy.  The  homes 
in  which  we  live  as  children  have  more  to  do  with  shap¬ 
ing  our  lives  than  any  other  agency  with  which  we  come 
in  contact.  This  is  because  home  influences  are  the  first 
influences  which  touch  our  lives  and  they  are  practically 
the  only  influences  for  the  first  and  most  important  years. 
There  are  many  evidences  that  the  family  of  which  Paul 
was  a  member  were  people  of  refinement.  Paul  enjoyed 
the  immense  advantage  of  having  a  good  home.  Paul’s 
family  were  probably  people  of  recognized  standing 
among  the  Jewish  population  in  Tarsus  and  possibly  at 
Jerusalem.  This  may  be  one  reason  why  Paul  became 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


n 


a  member  of  the  sanhedrin  at  Jerusalem  and  a  recognized 
leader  of  the  Jewish  Church  when  he  was  still  quite 
young. 

In  such  a  family  as  Paul’s  he  would  be  surrounded 
from  his  infancy  with  influences  which  would  affect  him 
all  his  life.  His  earliest  experiences  would  impress  upon 
him  the  religious  life  of  the  chosen  people.  He  would 
see  the  little  boxes  which  contained  extracts  from  the 
law  and  which  were  fastened  to  the  doorposts  of  his 
father’s  house  and  worn  upon  the  wrists  and  foreheads 
of  his  parents  and  other  adult  members  of  the  house¬ 
hold.  He  would  early  learn  that  these  sacred  emblems 
must  not  be  rudely  touched  by  his  baby  fingers,  but 
handled  in  a  careful  and  reverent  way.  He  would  hear 
his  father  tell  to  the  assembled  household  on  the  eve  of 
the  passover  feast  the  stirring  tale  of  Israel’s  deliverance 
from  the  Egyptian  bondage,  the  long  wanderings  in  the 
wilderness,  the  heroic  conquest  of  Canaan  under  the 
great  leader,  Joshua,  and  the  adventures  and  achieve¬ 
ments  of  David. 

The  Educational  Influence  of  Public  Services  of  Wor¬ 
ship  and  Praise.  Jewish  boys  attended  the  synagogue 
services.  When  they  had  reached  a  certain  age,  they  sat 
with  their  fathers  and  the  other  men  of  the  congregation. 
Here  they  would  join  in  singing  the  stirring  psalms 
which  recounted  the  story  of  their  ancestors  or  spoke 
of  the  sublime  future  of  the  nation  which  the  prophets 
of  the  Hebrews  had  led  the  Jewish  people  to  expect. 
The  reading  of  the  Scriptures,  their  explanation,  and  the 
prayers  of  the  leader  and  of  the  congregation  must  have 
left  indelible  impressions  on  the  young  soul  of  Paul  as 
he  sat  Sabbath  after  Sabbath  in  the  midst  of  the  men  and 
boys  of  the  congregation.  Boys  and  girls  who  grow  up 
without  attending  the  services  of  the  Church  develop 
almost  inevitably  into  adults  of  shallow  emotions  and 
limited  powers  of  mind.  Anyone  who  takes  the  trouble 
to  observe  the  young  people  of  a  community  can  deter¬ 
mine  the  truth  of  this  statement  for  himself.  If  Paul 
had  never  attended  services  where  Jehovah  was  praised 
and  worshiped,  he  never  could  have  developed  into  the 
great-souled  man  who,  more  than  any  other  person  of 


12 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


his  day,  was  responsible  for  the  spread  of  Christianity 
throughout  the  Roman  Empire. 

“Debtor  Both  to  Greeks  and  to  Barbarians.”  The  debt 
which  a  pupil  owes  to  a  true  teacher  is  a  debt  that  money 
cannot  pay.  Sometimes  pupils  do  not  realize  this  at 
first.  They  take  it  as  a  matter  of  course  when  parents 
and  friends  and  teachers  practice  self-denial  and  labor 
diligently  to  secure  the  opportunities  of  an  education  for 
them.  They  fail  to  appreciate  the  unselfish  service  of 
those  people  without  whose  aid  they  could  never  secure 
an  education.  Later  on,  in  middle  life,  perhaps,  they 
come  to  see  what  a  service  has  been  rendered  by  their 
parents  and  their  teachers,  and  they  seek  to  express  their 
gratitude  and  to  recompense  their  benefactors  as  far  as 
they  can. 

Paul  may  have  had  some  such  experience.  In  the 
midst  of  his  missionary  labors  he  wrote  a  letter  to  the 
Christians  in  Rome.  Some  of  these  Roman  Christians 
were  evidently  Jews,  some  were  Romans,  some  were 
Greeks,  some  were  Barbarians.  Paul  wrote  to  these 
people  expressing  the  hope  that  he  might  some  time  visit 
them.  He  said  that  he  was  a  debtor  “both  to  Greeks  and 
to  Barbarians.”  He  seems  to  have  meant  that  he  owed  a 
debt  to  all  classes  of  people — to  his  own  people,  the  Jews, 
of  course,  and  also  to  Greeks  and  to  the  half-civilized 
barbarous  tribes  with  whom  he  had  come  in  contact. 
He  had  learned  something  from  all  of  them,  had  been 
helped  in  some  way  by  all  of  them.  He  owed  a  vast 
debt  which  he  could  never  pay.  He  was  in  debt  to  the 
kind  old  Jewish  rabbi  who  had  been  his  teacher  in  the 
synagogue  school  at  Tarsus,  to  the  great  teachers  of  his 
race  who  had  lived  and  taught  in  past  centuries,  to  his 
godly  father  and  mother,  to  the  Greek  philosophers  who 
had  helped  him  to  know  how  to  think  clearly  and  logi¬ 
cally,  to  barbarous  tribes  who  had  shown  him  kindness 
in  his  wanderings  and  had  given  heed  to  his  message 
concerning  a  Saviour  of  the  world.  Appreciation/grati¬ 
tude,  a  sense  of  indebtedness,  and  a  determination  to 
discharge  the  debt  so  far  as  possible  by  service,  seem  to 
have  been  steps  through  which  Paul  came  to  give  him¬ 
self  to  his  task  with  such  vigor  and  perseverance. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  13 
The  Lesson  Prayer 

Give  us  a  sense  of  gratitude,  our  Father  in  heaven, 
both  to  thee  and  to  those  among  our  relatives  and  friends 
who  have  done  so  much  for  us.  Help  us  to  be  diligent 
in  our  work  at  school  so  that  we  may  be  fitted  for  large 
usefulness  in  after  life.  Guide  us  in  the  choice  of  a  life 
work  so  that  we  may  find  that  task  which  thou  hast  for 
us.  When  we  have  found  the  work  which  thou  wouldest 
have  us  do,  give  unto  us  that  patience  and  perseverance 
and  diligence  which  we  must  have  if  we  are  to  do  our 
work  in  a  manner  well-pleasing  unto  thee.  We  ask  in 
Jesus’  name.  Amen. 

Supplemental  Missionary  Story 

“Sons  of  the  Desert.”  “The  Book  of  Missionary 
Heroes,”  page  213.  _ 

EXPRESSION AL  SESSION 

THE  PLACE  OF  EDUCATION  IN  A  GREAT  AND 

USEFUL  LIFE 

I  Tim.  4:13-16;  II  Tim.  2:15;  3:14-17 

Our  Scripture  lesson  is  taken  from  letters  which  Paul 
wrote  to  his  young  friend  and  helper,  Timothy.  Paul 
seems  to  have  been  anxious  about  two  things.  In  the 
first  place,  he  was  anxious  to  have  Timothy  make  con¬ 
stant  effort  for  self-improvement.  He  urged  Timothy  to 
“give  heed  to  reading”  and  warned  him  against  neglect¬ 
ing  the  gift  that  was  bestowed  upon  him  when  he  was 
set  apart  for  the  ministry.  Paul  did  not  wish  Timothy 
to  feel  that  his  education  had  been  completed.  He  was 
anxious  to  have  his  young  friend  keep  right  on  improving 
his  mind  and  developing  new  power  for  the  great  task 
to  which  he  had  addressed  himself. 

In  the  second  place,  Paul  was  anxious  to  have  his 
friend  keep  within  the  path  of  true  progress.  Paul  was 
conscious  of  a  so-called  education  which  leads  people 
away  from  the  truth.  So  he  urged  Timothy  to  “abide 
...  in  the  things”  which  he  had  learned. 


14 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Some  Truths  from  the  Lessons  We  Have 

Been  Studying 

Paul’s  education  helped  him  to  become  one  of  the 
greatest  writers  of  the  New  Testament.  He  wrote  nearly 
one  third  of  the  New  Testament  and  he  dealt  with  some 
of  the  most  important  matters  in  the  Christian  religion. 
God  could  use  him  for  this  task  because  he  had  made 
preparation  for  it. 

Paul’s  education  helped  him  to  become  one  of  the 
greatest  theologians  of  the  Christian  Church.  He  had  a 
mind  so  well  trained  and  so  keen  that  he  could  see  and 
understand  religious  truths  too  deep  for  most  people. 

Paul’s  education  enabled  him  to  become  one  of  the 
greatest  leaders  of  the  Christian  Church.  A  leader  must 
have  wide  knowledge  and  he  must  be  able  not  only  to 
understand  the  truth  himself  but  to  help  others  to  under¬ 
stand  it.  This  power  Paul  had  developed  by  diligent 
study  in  school  and  through  learning  from  all  sorts  of 
people  and  all  sorts  of  experiences. 


Review  Questions 

1.  How  does  Paul’s  education  compare  with  that  of 
other  New  Testament  leaders? 

2.  Name  some  of  the  ways  in  which  Paul’s  education 
helped  him  to  do  a  great  task. 

3.  What  kind  of  student  do  you  think  Paul  was? 

4.  How  does  Paul’s  career  show  the  value  of  Bible 
study  in  youth? 

5.  Is  it  advisable  for  a  boy  or  girl  to  quit  school  at  the 
age  of  fourteen  in  order  to  go  to  work? 

6.  Show  that  education  increases  the  power  of  the  one 
who  possesses  it. 

7.  What  kind  of  education  did  Moses  receive? 

8.  How  can  a  person  keep  on  getting  an  education 
after  leaving  school? 

9.  Name  some  reasons  why  young  people  should  go 
to  high  school. 

10.  Name  some  reasons  why  young  people  should  go 
to  college. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


15 


Bible  Verses 

Prov.  2:1-5;  3:13-18;  4:1-9;  Isa.  33:6;  Luke  2:52;  Col. 
1 :9;  James  1 :5. 

Study  Topics 

1.  Tarsus,  Paul’s  Home  Town. 

2.  A  Synagogue  School. 

3.  Opportunities  for  Service  Which  Are  Open  to 
Young  People  of  Good  Education. 

4.  The  Educational  Influence  of  a  Good  Home. 

5.  The  Educational  Influence  of  the  Regular  Services 
of  the  Church. 

6.  Roman  Citizenship  in  the  First  Century. 

7.  What  We  Owe  to  Greek  Civilization. 

8.  The  Romans  and  Their  Contribution  to  Human 
Progress. 

9.  Our  Debt  to  the  Hebrew  People. 

10.  Why  It  Was  a  Good  Thing  for  Paul  to  Learn  a 
Trade. 

The  Lesson  Truth  Expressed  in  a  Law 

The  Law  of  Self-Improvement.  God  has  given  each 
person  possibilities  for  intellectual  and  spiritual  growth. 
It  is  our  duty  to  develop  these  latent  possibilities  of  mind 
and  heart.  Therefore : 

1.  We  will  seek  diligently  to  improve  our  minds  in 
school  and  after  we  have  ceased  to  attend  school. 

2.  We  will  seek  to  become  stronger  in  self-control, 
kinder  in  spirit,  and  broader  in  sympathy  as  long  as  we 
live. 

3.  In  our  efforts  for  self-improvement  we  will  strive 
to  be  unselfish  in  our  aims,  seeking  the  good  of  our  fellow 
men  and  the  honor  of  God  rather  than  prominence  and 
pleasure  for  ourselves. 


Projects  eor  Putting  the  Lesson  Truths 

Into  Practice 

Have  the  class  undertake  the  full  or  partial  support  of 
a  child  in  some  foreign-mission  school.  Ask  pupils  to 


*i6  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 

report  on  the  subject,  “A  Truth  I  Learned  in  the  Church 
School  and  How  I  Used  It  to  Help  Some  One  Else.”  Se¬ 
cure  information  from  the  Board  of  Freedmen  (506-510 
Bessemer  Building,  Pittsburgh,  Pa.),  concerning  educa¬ 
tional  conditions  among  colored  people.  Have  the  class 
study  the  matter  and  undertake  such  help  as  seems 
practicable. 


CHAPTER  II 

IN  SCHOOL  AT  JERUSALEM 
WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

THE  CITY  OF  THE  GREAT  KING 
Psalms  48,  122;  Acts  22:1-3 

Paul  was  probably  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  old  when 
he  left  his  home  at  Tarsus  and  journeyed  to  Jerusalem  to 
be  enrolled  as  a  student  in  the  great  school  for  the  train¬ 
ing  of  rabbis.  Leaving  home  is  always  an  event  of  much 
importance  in  the  life  of  a  boy.  It  must  have  been  espe¬ 
cially  so  to  Paul  for  he  was  going  to  dwell  in  a  city  about 
which  the  glory  of  his  race  and  the  religion  of  his  fore¬ 
fathers  centered.  He  was  going  to  a  school  where  he 
would  have  as  his  teachers  the  greatest  living  leaders 
of  the  Jewish  religion  and  as  his  textbooks  the  utterances 
of  the  teachers  and  prophets  of  past  centuries.  Paul  was 
at  just  the  age  when  a  visit  to  Jerusalem  and  a  prolonged 
residence  within  its  walls  would  impress  him  profoundly. 
He  was  old  enough  and  knew  enough  of  the  history  of 
his  nation  to  appreciate  the  historic  surroundings  in  the 
midst  of  which  he  had  come  to  dwell  for  a  while.  He 
was  young  enough  for  the  great  and  ancient  city  to 
impress  him  deeply  and  permanently.  These  years  in 
Jerusalem  must  have  been  so  profoundly  influential  over 
the  life  of  Paul  that  we  may  profitably  spend  this  whole 
chapter  in  a  consideration  of  the  effect  which  this  period 
had  over  the  life  of  the  lad  who  lived  to  become  one  of 
the  greatest  men  of  all  history.  In  this  lesson  we  will 
consider  the  environment  which  the  city  of  Jerusalem 
threw  about  Paul  and  the  effect  this  environment  had 
in  shaping  his  character.  In  the  next  lesson  we  will 
study  about  the  school  of  the  rabbis  which  Paul  attended 
in  Jerusalem,  and  the  effect  which  this  teaching  had  in 
molding  his  life. 

A  City  Venerable  with  Age.  Jerusalem  is  mentioned 
in  some  of  the  Egyptian  inscriptions  which  were  written 

17 


18 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


sixteen  hundred  years  before  the  birth  of  Christ.  It  is 
likely  that  Melchizedek,  who  went  out  to  meet  Abraham 
after  the  latter  had  defeated  the  kings  who  had  plun¬ 
dered  the  cities  of  the  plain,  was  the  king  of  Jerusalem. 
A  thousand  years  before  Paul  came  to  attend  school  in 
Jerusalem,  King  David  had  besieged  the  city  and  wrested 
it  from  the  possession  of  the  Jebusites.  The  grim  old 
walls  of  the  city  showed  traces  of  the  furious  poundings 
of  Nebuchadnezzar’s  battering-rams  and  of  the  fires  with 
which  that  fierce  Babylonian  conqueror  had  destroyed 
the  place  five  hundred  years  before.  The  walls  of  the 
city  in  Paul’s  day  were  constructed  in  part  from  fire- 
scarred  remnants  of  the  ancient  city. 

A  City  of  Profound  Historic  Interest.  There  was 
hardly  an  event  of  any  great  importance  since  the  days 
of  David  which  was  not  connected  in  some  way  with 
the  city  of  Jerusalem.  Solomon  had  adorned  it  as  his 
capital  in  the  days  of  Israel’s  greatest  temporal  glory. 
From  before  its  walls  Sennacherib,  the  Assyrian,  had 
fled,  his  army  smitten  down  in  a  single  night  by  some 
dreadful  malady  which  the  Hebrews  believed  had  been 
sent  by  Jehovah.  Within  its  streets  the  great  prophets 
of  the  eighth  century  had  preached.  It  contained  the 
tombs  of  the  long  line  of  kings,  some  good  and  some 
bad,  who  were  descended  from  King  David  and  who 
had  each  for  a  time  sat  upon  the  throne  of  Judah.  The 
grim  Tower  of  Antonia  rising  within  the  Temple  area 
told  of  the  days  of  the  heroic  Maccabsean  kings  who  had 
broken  the  power  of  cruel  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  for  they 
had  constructed  it  as  a  citadel  from  which  to  defy  the 
enemies  of  the  resurrected  Hebrew  nation.  The  magnifi¬ 
cent  palace  of  Herod  rising  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city 
told  of  more  recent  history,  the  rule  of  the  Idumsean  king 
who  was  hated  by  the  Jews  of  Pharisaic  leaning  and 
flattered  by  the  self-seeking  Herodians.  The  hippodrome 
and  the  gymnasium  but  recently  constructed  in  Paul’s 
day  spoke  of  the  situation  then  present,  a  situation 
wherein  the  customs  and  ideals  of  the  Hebrews  treasured 
through  centuries  were  grappling  in  a  death  struggle  with 
new  and  demoralizing  habits  of  life  introduced  by  the 
Romans. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


19 


A  City  of  Grandeur  and  Beauty.  Hebrew  poets  sang 
continually  of  the  grandeur  and  beauty  of  Jerusalem. 
They  said  of  it, 

“Beautiful  in  elevation,  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth, 

Is  mount  Zion,  on  the  sides  of  the  north, 

The  city  of  the  great  King.” 

This  poetry  was  not  entirely  a  product  of  poetic  imagi¬ 
nation.  The  situation  of  Jerusalem  was  indeed  imposing. 
It  lay  upon  a  massive  mountain  table-land  and  sur¬ 
rounded  on  three  sides  by  deep  ravines.  Beyond  these 
ravines  rose  mountains  still  higher  than  that  on  which 
Jerusalem  was  budded.  The  mountains  were  “round 
about  Jerusalem.”  Seen  from  the  mount  of  Olives  the 
city  must  have  been  a  sublime  spectacle  to  the  boy  Paul 
as  he  first  came  in  sight  of  it.  In  the  foreground  cover¬ 
ing  the  whole  of  Mount  Moriah  was  Herod’s  magnificent 
Temple  all  glittering  with  white  marble  and  with  its 
pinnacles  covered  with  gold  leaf.  The  soil  upon  the 
lower  slopes  of  the  hill  upon  which  Jerusalem  is  built 
and  that  in  the  surrounding  valleys  is  rocky  but  fertile. 
It  doubtless  supported  a  luxuriant  vegetation  in  the  time 
of  Paul.  Gardens  and  olive  groves  were  there.  In  the 
springtime  brilliantly  colored  wild  flowers  peeked  out  of 
every  rocky  crevice  and  spread  sheets  of  color  over  valley 
and  hill.  The  yearly  rainfall  of  Jerusalem  is  equal  to 
that  of  London  and  with  the  intensive  cultivation  given 
to  the  vineyards  and  orchards  and  grainfields  in  and  about 
Jerusalem  in  the  early  part  of  the  first  century,  we  may 
well  believe  that  it  was  indeed  a  place  to  be  admired  for 
its  beauty. 

A  City  Beloved  and  Reverenced.  It  is  hard  for  us  to 
understand  the  intense  devotion  of  the  Hebrews  to  Jeru¬ 
salem.  They  were  proud  of  their  great  capital.  In  the 
Temple  thousands  of  voices  accompanied  by  stringed 
instruments  and  the  crash  of  cymbals  sang  of  the  glories 
of  Zion : 

“Walk  about  Zion,  and  go  round  about  her; 

Number  the  towers  thereof; 

Mark  ye  well  her  bulwarks; 

Consider  her  palaces: 

That  ye  may  tell  it  to  the  generation  following.” 

— Ps.  48:12,  13. 


20 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


The  Jews  almost  worshiped  Jerusalem.  They  called  it 
the  city  of  their  God  and  the  “holy  mountain.”  They 
believed  that  Jehovah  had  made  Jerusalem  his  peculiar 
dwelling  place  on  earth  and  that  he  would  never  suffer 
Jerusalem  to  be  destroyed.  It  was  to  the  Hebrews  an 
eternal  city.  Thousands  of  loyal  Hebrews  would  have 
gladly  given  their  lives  in  the  days  of  Paul  if  they  could 
have  freed  Jerusalem  from  the  presence  of  the  Roman 
troops  who  dwelt  within  the  fortress  of  Antonia  and 
sternly  enforced  the  Roman  peace  within  the  turbulent 
city. 

Well-schooled  in  the  history  with  which  Jerusalem 
was  connected  and  overflowing  with  youthful  and  zealous 
patriotism,  with  what  feelings  of  exultation  the  lad  Paul 
must  have  drawn  near  to  this  sacred  city  of  his  fore¬ 
fathers  !  From  the  days  of  his  infancy  he  had  heard  of 
this  city  of  the  great  King.  He  had  sung  about  it  when 
he  was.  a  little  boy  sitting  among  the  grown  men  of  the 
congregation  in  the  synagogue : 

“Pray  for  the  peace  of  Jerusalem: 

They  shall  prosper  that  love  thee. 

Peace  be  within  thy  walls, 

And  prosperity  within  thy  palaces.” 

— Ps.  122:6,  7. 

People  Whom  Paul  Met  in  Jerusalem.  Paul’s  student 
days  in  Jerusalem  must  have  brought  him  into  contact 
with  many  different  types  of  people.  Jerusalem  was  the 
dwelling  place  of  many  different  nationalities  and  on  the 
great  feast  days  Jews  from  practically  every  known ‘land 
gathered  there  in  large  numbers.  Among  those  who 
came  up  to  Jerusalem  for  the  feasts  were  many  Gentiles 
who  had  come  to  believe  in  the  God  of  the  Jews.  These 
converts  to  Judaism  were  called  proselytes.  Among 
Paul’s  fellow  students  would  be  many  who,  like  himself, 
were  Jewish  lads  of  the  Dispersion  and  had  come  from 
distant  places  to  attend  the  great  school  of  the  rabbis  in 
Jerusalem.  In  Jerusalem,  even  more  than  in  Tarsus, 
Paul  would  thus  come  into  contact  with  people  from  all 
parts  of  the  world.  He  doubtless  met  Roman  soldiers 
every  day  for  they  had  their  chief  barracks  within  the 
Temple  area.  Perhaps  he  sometimes  saw  them  dispers- 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


21 


in g  the  multitudes  by  driving  them  out  of  the  narrow 
streets  before  their  spears,  for  the  city  was  in  a  restless 
state  under  Roman  rule  and  riots  were  frequent.  Paul 
may  have  joined  with  youthful  enthusiasm  in  covert 
demonstrations  against  such  detested  races  as  the  Samar¬ 
itans,  for  his  education  had  developed  in  him  that  intense 
but  misguided  patriotism  which  sometimes  expresses 
itself  in  a  spirit  of  persecution. 

Three  religious  sects  were  prominent  in  the  life  of  the 
Jewish  nation  at  that  time.  They  were  the  Pharisees, 
the  Sadducees,  and  the  Essenes.  Paul  would  come  into 
close  contact  with  the  first  group  for  all  his  teachers  were 
probably  Pharisees.  The  Pharisaic  sect  had  come  into 
existence  during  the  turbulent  days  of  the  early  Macca- 
bsean  kings.  At  that  time  the  keeping  of  the  Mosaic  law 
was  punishable  by  death  under  the  law  of  the  Greek 
rulers  of  Judea.  The  early  Pharisees  dared  to  defy  the 
rulers  of  their  land  and  were  the  leaders  in  the  great 
revolt  which  finally  won  independence  for  the  nation. 
The  Pharisees  held  tenaciously  to  the  great  fundamental 
doctrines  of  the  Hebrew  faith  which  were  being  endan¬ 
gered  by  the  pagan  beliefs  of  other  nations  with  which 
the  Jews  had  come  into  contact.  They  believed  in  the 
immortality  of  the  soul,  the  resurrection  of  the  body,  the 
existence  of  spirits,  and  future  rewatds  or  punishments 
for  all  mankind  in  the  life  which  lies  beyond. 

The  Sadducees  were  bitter  antagonists  of  the  Phari¬ 
sees.  They  professed  to  disbelieve  in  a  life  after  death, 
denied  that  there  was  any  resurrection,  and  doubted  the 
existence  of  spirits.  Paul  would  become  familiar  with 
the  Sadducean  doctrines,  for  his  teachers  would  see  to  it 
that  all  their  pupils  were  thoroughly  guarded  against  the 
heresies  of  their  enemies.  He  would  doubtless  become 
acquainted,  at  least  by  sight,  with  many  of  the  leading 
Sadducees,  for  they  held  the  higher  offices  such  as  that 
of  the  high  priesthood.  Paul  must  often  have  met  these 
Sadducean  officials  in  and  about  the  Temple. 

The  third  religious  sect  was  that  of  the  Essenes.  Paul, 
in  all  probability,  did  not  see  much  of  them  for  they 
dwelt,  for  the  most  part,  in  desert  regions  and  seldom 
visited  the  large  cities.  They  had  many  queer  ways  and 


22 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


lived'  lives  somewhat  like  the  monks  of  the  Middle 
Ages. 

The  Pharisees  had  become  a  powerful  sect  in  Paul’s 
day,  but  they  had  fallen  from  that  high  type  of  character 
which  marked  them  in  the  days  of  the  Maccabsean  kings. 
They  still  held  to  the  noble  truths  for  which  they  had 
been  willing  to  lay  down  their  lives,  but,  for  the  most 
part,  they  had  ceased  to  live  up  to  the  ideals  which  their 
forefathers  had  maintained.  They  had  become  crafty 
politicians  seeking  power  and  place  for  themselves. 
Their  religion  had  become  external  and  formal.  They 
strove  to  keep  the  utmost  letter  of  the  Mosaic  law  but 
had  forgotten  justice  and  mercy  and  truth.  Many  Phari¬ 
sees  were  cold  and  proud.  They  despised  all  who  had 
not  received  as  much  schooling  as  themselves.  They  said 
of  the  common  people,  “This  multitude  that  knoweth  not 
the  law  are  accursed.” 

There  were  some  exceptions  to  what  has  been  said 
about  the  Pharisees.  Here  and  there  were  individuals 
who  belonged  to  the  Pharisaic  party  and  who  retained 
much  of  the  noble  character  of  the  founders  of  the  sect. 
Gamaliel,  Paul’s  teacher,  was  such  a  Pharisee,  a  man 
worthy  of  respect. 

The  Religious  Life  in  Humble  Hebrew  Homes.  Although 
the  religious  life  of  the  Jewish  leaders  had  grown  cold  and 
formal  in  Paul’s  day,  there  was  still  a  true  spirit  of  rev¬ 
erence  and  worship  in  many  humble  Jewish  homes.  Paul 
had  probably  been  born  and  reared  in  such  a  home. 
While  Paul  was  in  school  at  Jerusalem  learning  what  the 
rabbis  had  to  teach  him,  there  was  another  boy,  just  a  few 
years  older  than  Paul,  who  was  living  in  a  humble  but 
righteous  home  in  Nazareth.  While  Paul  was  studying 
in  Jerusalem,  Jesus  was  toiling*  in  a  carpenter  shop  in  a 
backwoods  town  of  Galilee.  While  Paul  was  memorizing 
what  the  ancient  rabbis  had  said  about  the  Mosaic  law, 
Jesus  was  putting  the  spirit  of  that  law  into  his  every  act 
as  he  went  about  his  daily  labors  in  Nazareth.  Paul 
was  learning  what  others  had  said  about  the  way  the 
law  of  Moses  should  be  kept;  Jesus  was  thinking  his  own 
thoughts  as  to  how  that  law  could  be  fulfilled  in  righteous 
deeds. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


23 


Suggestions  eor  Notebook  Work 

Have  pupils  draw  a  map  of  Jerusalem  for  their  note¬ 
books  or  for  the  wall.  Locate  such  places  as  the  Temple, 
the  palace  of  Herod,  the  mount  of  Olives,  and  the  valley 
of  Hinnom.  Have  pupils  write  in  their  notebooks  a 
letter  such  as  Paul  might  have  written  to  his  father, 
describing  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  the  people  he  met,  and 
so  forth.  Picture:  The  Tower  of  Antonia  in  Jerusalem, 
No.  185.  _ 

SUNDAY  SESSION 

THE  SCHOOL  WHICH  PAUL  ATTENDED  IN 

JERUSALEM 

Acts  22:1-3;  26:4,  5;  5:33-40 

The  school  which  Paul  attended  in  Jerusalem  was  an 
institution  of  higher  learning,  corresponding  to  the  col¬ 
leges  of  our  day,  though  it  was  in  many  ways  unlike  our 
modern  colleges.  Since  one  of  its  chief  aims  was  to  fit 
young  men  to  become  rabbis,  or  teachers,  it  corresponded 
somewhat  to  our  modern  normal  schools.  The  time  which 
a  pupil  spent  in  the  school  of  the  rabbis  varied.  There 
was  no  fixed  time  during  which  each  pupil  was  expected 
to  complete  the  course.  Each  remained  until  he  had 
mastered  thoroughly  the  subjects  of  instruction.  Some¬ 
times  this  took  a  dozen  years.  We  have  reason  to  believe 
that  Paul  was  in  the  school  not  more  than  half  that 
length  of  time  and  that  he  went  back  to  Tarsus  to  take 
up  his  task  as  a  teacher  there  when  he  was  just  a  little 
more  than  twenty  years  old. 

The  years  spent  in  college  constitute  one  of  the  most 
important  periods  of  a  person’s  life.  College  training 
greatly  increases  the  probability  of  a  person’s  attaining 
distinction.  One  person  in  one  hundred  thousand  attains 
fame  without  having  attended  college,  but  of  college 
graduates  one  person  in  a  hundred  becomes  famous. 
College  life  has,  therefore,  much  to  do  with  success  and 
the  attainment  of  distinction  among  our  fellow  men.  It 
is  of  importance,  then,  that  we  consider  as  fully  as  we  are 
able  the  school  which  Paul  attended  in  Jerusalem,  and 


24 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


determine  as  far  as  we  can  the  effect  its  teaching  had  on 
his  character. 

The  Building  in  Which  the  School  Held  Its  Sessions. 

The  classes  of  the  school  in  which  Paul  had  enrolled  as  a 
pupil  met  in  the  Temple.  In  fair  weather  the  sessions 
were  held  in  some  one  of  the  open  courts ;  when  the 
weather  was  unfavorable,  they  were  held  in  some  one  of 
the  spacious  porches  or  in  some  room  where  warmth  and 
shelter  could  be  secured.  The  teacher  sat  on  a  raised 
seat  while  the  pupils  sat  on  the  ground  or  pavement  in 
front  of  the  teacher. 

The  influence  of  this  environment  over  the  pupils  in  the 
school  of  the  rabbis  was  probably  very  great.  They  were 
enclosed  by  sacred  Avails.  They  studied  within  sight  of 
the  Holy  of  Holies  Avhere  Jehovah  Avas  supposed  to  have 
his  peculiar  dAvelling  place.  The  odors  of  burned  incense 
and  of  the  sacrifices  offered  on  the  great  altar  lingered 
ever  about  the  courts  of  the  Temple.  The  classes  began 
their  sessions  early,  and  even  as  they  gathered,  the  pupils 
could  hear  the  voices  of  the  priests  offering  up  the  morn¬ 
ing  sacrifices.  The  classes  continued  their  sessions  for 
most  of  the  day,  and  as  the  pupils  turned  homeAvard,  the 
evening  oblations  would  be  under  Avay. 

The  educational  value  of  architecture  is  very  great  and 
Ave  may  believe  that  the  massHe  and  spacious  structure 
of  the  Temple  left  indelible  impressions  on  the  souls  of 
the  boys  who  gathered  there  day  after  day  to  study  the 
religion  of  which  the  Temple  Avas  an  expression  in  marble 
shaft  and  golden  pinnacle  and  far-reaching  court.  Every 
pillar  and  every  fresco  of  decoration  of  that  vast  building 
Avas  symbolical  of  some  event  or  some  doctrine  sacred 
to  the  heart  of  the  Hebrew.  The  Holy  Place  spoke  of 
the  ever-present  Jehovah.  The  court  of  Israel  told  of 
the  special  relationships  existing  betAveen  the  chosen 
people  and  the  God  of  all  the  earth.  The  Arast  court  of 
the  Gentiles,  nine  hundred  feet  square,  was  emblematic 
of  the  wide  approach  to  the  true  God  which  was  to  be 
made  for  all  people  through  the  religion  of  Israel.  Five 
or  six  years  of  intimate  association  Avith  the  Temple  must 
have  influenced  Paul  profoundly.  He  must  have  left  that 
school  belieAdng  Avith  all  his  heart  in  the  existence  of 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


25 


Jehovah  and  feeling  that  the  Hebrew  religion  was  yet  to 
become  the  mightiest  power  in  ail  the  world. 

Paulas  Studies  in  the  School  of  the  Rabbis.  Paul  had 
memorized  most  of  the  Mosaic  law  in  the  synagogue 
school  at  Tarsus.  His  task  now  was  to  memorize  the 
vast  amount  of  traditional  interpretations  of  the  law. 
Day  after  day  he  sat  on  the  ground  before  his  teachers 
and  repeated  after  them  the  opinions  which  had  been 
expressed  by  the  ancient  rabbis.  He  thus  committed  to 
memory  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  pages  of  closely  writ¬ 
ten  matter.  All  of  his  school  work  was  not  of  this  tedious 
type,  however.  Sometimes  pupils  and  teachers  discussed 
religious  topics  together.  Sometimes  famous  rabbis  from 
abroad  were  present  and  they  engaged  in  public  discus¬ 
sions  with  the  leaders  of  the  Jerusalem  school  in  the 
presence  of  the  pupils. 

Many  subjects  which  make  up  a  large  part  of  the  cur¬ 
riculum  of  a  modern  school  were  entirely  lacking  in  the 
school  which  Paul  attended.  There  was  no  study  ot 
science,  of  philosophy,  or  of  history  in  general.  Paul 
may  have  read  Greek  literature  while  he  was  a  pupil  in 
Jerusalem,  but  it  is  quite  certain  that  he  did  not  study 
any  Greek  textbook  in  the  school. 

The  Teachers  of  the  School.  Teachers  were  held  in 
high  honor  among  the  Hebrews.  When  the  teacher  en¬ 
tered,  all  the  pupils  arose  and  remained  standing  until 
the  teacher  had  taken  his  seat.  All  the  honors  due  a 
parent  were  believed  to  belong  to  the  teacher  and  he  was 
looked  upon  with  a  spirit  akin  to  reverence  because  he 
was  regarded  as  God’s  representative. 

Paul  had  as  one  of  his  teachers  a  man  who  had  become 
famous  as  a  teacher  and  theologian.  His  name  was 
Gamaliel.  He  was  not  only  head  of  the  school  of  the 
rabbis  in  Jerusalem,  but  a  kind  of  superintendent  for  the 
educational  system  of  the  entire  Hebrew  nation.  He 
secured  the  passage  of  a  law  making  it  compulsory  for 
all  Jewish  children  of  six  years  and  older  to  attend 
school.  Gamaliel  was  likewise  a  leading  member  of  the 
highest  Jewish  court  called  the  sanhedrin.  He  was  a 
man  of  more  liberal  views  than  most  of  the  Pharisees  and 
was  well  acquainted  with  Greek  learning.  Under  his 


26 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


teaching  Paul  must  have  come  in  contact  with  the  best 
thought  of  his  day,  even  though  Greek  textbooks  were 
not  used  in  the  classes. 

The  character  of  Gamaliel  is  shown  by  the  passage 
from  The  Acts  which  forms  a  part  of  our  Scripture  lesson. 
The  incident  here  recorded  shows  us  that  Gamaliel  was  a 
man  of  lofty  courage.  The  members  of  the  sanhedrin 
were  almost  unanimous  in  their  determination  to  slay  the 
apostles  whom  they  had  in  their  power.  It  took  no  small 
amount  of  courage  for  Gamaliel  to  stand  out  alone  in 
the  midst  of  a  court  filled  with  murderous  hate  and 
frenzied  fear.  He  calmly  stated  the  case  and  his  unim¬ 
passioned  words  were  wonderfully  effective  over  the  en¬ 
raged  court.  Gamaliel  must,  indeed,  have  been  “had  in 
honor  of  all  people”  or  he  could  not  have  accomplished 
what  he  did  that  day  in  the  meeting  of  the  sanhedrin. 

In  this  incident  Gamaliel  is  seen  to  have  been  a  man 
of  wisdom.  He  recognized  the  possibility  of  the  apostles’ 
being  right  and  warned  his  fellow  members  that  if  this 
was  the  case,  and  the  work  wrought  by  the  Christians 
therefore  a  work  of  God,  no  human  intervention  could 
ever  overthrow  it.  He  went  on  to  say  that  if  the  Chris¬ 
tian  movement  were  not  from  God  it  would  inevitably 
come  to  nought  without  the  drastic  measures  which  his 
companions  were  urging. 

There  is  an  ancient  tradition  that  Gamaliel  became  a 
Christian  before  he  died.  It  may  be  that  this  tradition 
is  true,  for  he  certainly  manifested  on  that  day  in  the 
sanhedrin  a  spirit  of  open-mindedness  toward  Christian¬ 
ity  which  might  well  have  led  him  into  a  full  knowledge 
of  the  truth  as  it  is  revealed  in  Jesus  Christ. 

Paul’s  Schoolmates  in  the  School  of  Rabbis.  One  of 
the  most  helpful  advantages  of  college  life  lies  in  the  fact 
that  it  puts  one  in  touch  with  people  with  whom  life¬ 
long  and  helpful  friendships  are  maintained.  Some  Bible 
students  have  marveled  at  the  extent  of  Paul’s  personal 
acquaintanceship.  They  have  been  puzzled  to  explain  how 
it  was  that  in  writing  a  letter  to  the  Christians  in  Rome 
Paul  was  acquainted  with  so  many  people  in  a  city 
which  he  never  had  visited.  Paul  sent  salutations  to 
more  than  thirty  people  in  Rome  and  he  mentioned 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


27 


nearly  all  of  them  by  name  showing,  moreover,  by  some 
little  phrase  of  personal  significance  that  he  was  inti¬ 
mately  acquainted  with  most  of  them. 

It  may  be  that  this  wide  acquaintance  of  Paul  is  ex¬ 
plained  in  part  by  the  period  of  his  life  which  we  are  now 
studying.  In  school  at  Jerusalem  he  would  come  into 
close  fellowship  with  many  students  who  like  himself 
were  preparing  for  the  work  of  teaching.  The  Hebrew 
historian,  Josephus,  has  told  us  that  some  of  the  famous 
rabbis  of  the  Jerusalem  school  had  a  multitude  of  pupils 
always  about  them.  So  as  Paul  sat  at  the  feet  of  Gama¬ 
liel  he  would  be  one  of  several  hundred  who  were  listen¬ 
ing  to  the  words  of  that  great  teacher.  He  would  there 
become  acquainted  with  many  fellow  students  who  had 
come  from  distant  lands,  possibly  dozens  of  them  from 
such  prominent  cities  as  Rome  and  Alexandria.  These 
fellow  students  of  Paul’s  would  in  many  cases  become 
•  the  leading  people  of  their  home  communities.  It  may 
be  that  some  of  them  like  Paul  later  became  followers  of 
Jesus.  It  is  not  impossible  that  some  of  these  school 
companions  of  Paul  were  among  the  number  to  whom 
the  apostle  sent  greetings  when  he  wrote  to  the  Roman 
Christians. 

The  Results  of  Paul’s  School  Days  in  Jerusalem.  Paul 
went  forth  from  the  school  of  the  rabbis  with  a  consum¬ 
ing  devotion  to  the  religion  of  his  forefathers.  To  teach 
that  religion  to  the  rising  generation  had  become  the 
passion  of  his  life.  He  had  been  taught  that  the  way  to 
a  righteous  life  and  to  spiritual  satisfaction  lay  in  know¬ 
ing  the  Mosaic  law  and  the  enormous  volume  of  inter¬ 
pretations  which  had  been  given  by  the  rabbis  of  old. 
He  had  been  taught  that  in  observing  this  law  and  these 
interpretations  of  it  he  would  attain  to  a  character  like 
the  characters  of  the  great  men  of  his  race  whom  he  hon¬ 
ored  and  adored. 

What  Paul  had  learned  was  therefore  not  without 
marked  benefits  to  him.  The  school  of  the  rabbis  had 
made  an  idealist  of  him.  He  could  now  hardly  fall  into 
the  shameful  state  of  some  of  his  fellow  countrymen  who 
had  become  tax  collectors  under  the  Romans.  He  was 
too  patriotic  ever  to  become  one  of  these  publicans.  He 


28 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


was  too  deeply  schooled  in  the  great  fundamental  truths 
of  the  Hebrew  faith  ever  to  become  a  disbelieving  Sad- 
ducee.  He  was  sure  of  the  existence  of  God,  sure  of  the 
life  which  lies  in  a  realm  beyond  the  present  existence, 
sure  that  the  Almighty  had  a  glorious  work  for  his 
nation  in  the  years  and  centuries  which  lay  ahead.  An 
education  which  gives  these  assurances  to  a  young  man 
cannot  be  considered  a  failure. 

Yet  Paul’s  education  had  been  far  from  perfect.  It 
had  made  him  narrow  in  his  sympathies.  He  endeavored 
to  keep  every  little  precept  which  any  ancient  rabbi  had 
taught  concerning  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  but  he 
passed  by  the  soul-hungry  multitudes  and  the  blind  beg¬ 
gars  and  the  loathsome  lepers  and  felt  no  stirring  of  com¬ 
passion  for  them.  These  people  were  a  part  of  the  crowd 
of  useless  trash  rejected  of  Jehovah  because  they  knew 
not  the  law ;  so  he  had  been  taught  and  so  he  felt  and 
believed. 

Paul’s  education  had  made  him  fiercely  intolerant  to¬ 
ward  any  religious  opinions  which  were  not  in  harmony 
with  what  the  old-time  rabbis  had  taught.  He  thought  of 
truth  as  having  been  revealed,  once  for  all  in  the  law  of 
Moses  and  interpreted,  once  for  all,  in  the  teachings 
of  the  rabbis  who  had  lived  centuries  ago.  There 
was  no  place  in  his  system  of  religion  for  change  or 
progress. 

He  had  thus  been  grounded  in  certain  great  truths  to 
which  he  was  to  be  loyal  all  his  life.  At  the  same  time 
he  had  been  schooled  in  certain  ideas  and  attitudes  ad¬ 
mirably  fitted  to  make  him  a  bitter  persecutor  of  any  who 
might  not  agree  entirely  with  the  interpretations  of  the 
rabbis.  The  former  education,  namely,  his  faith  in  God 
and  immortality  and  his  assurance  concerning  the  divine 
plans  for  the  future,  was  to  be  the  foundation  on  which 
he  was  to  rear  a  character  mighty  in  its  strength  and 
amazing  in  its  accomplishments.  The  latter,  namely,  his 
blind  devotion  to  interpretations  that  were  of  the  long 
ago  and  humanly  imperfect,  was  to  be  to  him  a  handi¬ 
cap  of  which  he  should  be  rid  only  through  much  stress 
of  soul  and  through  a  new  vision  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in 
Jesus. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


2lJ 

The  Lesson  Prayer 

Our  Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  thee  for  the  oppor¬ 
tunities  which  thou  hast  opened  so  widely  before  us.  We 
thank  thee  especially  for  the  chance  to  improve  our  minds 
by  securing  an  education.  Grant  that  we  may  not  neglect 
these  gifts  of  thine.  Help  us  to  be  diligent  in  our  school 
work  and  faithful  to'  our  school  duties.  Help  us  to  be 
obedient  and  respectful  to  those  who  teach  us.  We  ask 
in  Jesus’  name.  Amen. 

Suppeementae  Missionary  Story 

‘‘The  Roadmaker.”  “The  Book  of  Missionary  Heroes/’ 
page  164.  _ 


EXPRESSION AL  SESSION 

THE  DANGERS  OF  AN  EDUCATION 

Gal.  1:11-24 

As  we  continue  our  study  of  the  life  of  Paul,  we  shall 
see  that  it  took  something  more  than  schooling  to  make 
of  him  the  great-souled  man  which  he  became.  Indeed, 
we  shall  see  that  the  education  which  he  had  received  in 
Jerusalem,  while  it  did  many  helpful  things  for  him,  was 
withal  so  imperfect  that  it  came  near  wrecking  his  life. 
This  interesting  letter  which  Paul  wrote  to  his  Galatian 
friends  sums  up  in  a  remarkable  way  the  forces  which 
had  been  at  work  in  the  life  of  Paul.  His  education  had 
made  him  “exceedingly  zealous  for  the  traditions”  of  his 
fathers.  He  had  been  such  a  studious  pupil  that  he  had 
surpassed  almost  everyone  else  in  his  mastery  of  the 
Mosaic  law  and  its  interpretations.  With  this  zeal  for 
God,  which  was  nevertheless  not  according  to  knowledge, 
he  had  become  the  foremost  persecutor  of  his  day  until 
he  was  suddenly  halted  and  turned  face  about  by  what 
Paul  called  a  revealing  of  God’s  Son  to  him. 

Some  Truths  erom  the  Lessons  We  Have 

Been  Studying 

Education  is  a  drawing  forth  of  the  powers  latent 
within  the  individual.  It  may  develop  latent  powers  for 
good  or  latent  powers  for  evil. 


30 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Education  of  the  right  kind  will  not  cause  its  possessor 
to  depise  those  who  are  not  educated. 

True  education  makes  its  possessor  humble  for  it  re¬ 
veals  the  vast  extent  of  the  unknown.  Sir  Isaac  Newton 
was  beginning  to  be  truly  educated  when  he  said  that  he 
had  gathered  only  a  few  pebbles  on  the  beach  while  the 
vast  ocean  of  truth  lay  all  undiscovered  before  him. 

Education  of  the  right  kind  leads  its  possessor  to  re¬ 
spect  the  opinions  of  others  and  to  seek  help  and  guidance 
from  God. 

An  education  which  leaves  out  the  culture  of  the  reli¬ 
gious  faculties  is  imperfect  and  dangerous. 

True  education  teaches  the  hand  to  do,  the  mind  to 
think,  and  the  heart  to  feel.  Paul’s  education  had  been 
somewhat  imperfect,  especially  in  regard  to  the  last  and 
most  important  item. 

Review  Questions 

1.  What  should  a  complete  education  include? 

2.  In  what  way  was  Paul’s  education  defective? 

3.  What  kind  of  men  were  the  Pharisees? 

4.  How  does  a  true  education  change  our  attitudes 
toward  our  fellow  men? 

5.  How  does  a  true  education  change  our  attitudes 
toward  God? 

6.  Tell  what  you  can  of  the  city  of  Jerusalem  in  the 
days  of  Paul. 

7.  Who  were  the  Sadducees? 

8.  Tell  why  you  think  that  it  was  a  good  thing  for 
Paul  to  have  his  classes  meet  in  the  Temple. 

9.  Tell  what  you  can  of  the  character  of  Paul’s 
teacher,  Gamaliel. 

10.  How  did  Paul  come  to  have  a  wide  circle  of 
acquaintances  ? 

Bibee  Verses 

Ps.  16:11;  25:9;  27:11;  32:8;  73:24;  119:105;  Prov. 
4:18;  Isa.  58:11 ;  Jer.  3 :4;  Luke  1 :79;  John  16:13. 

Study  Topics 

1.  What  We  Know  of  the  Education  of  Jesus.  Luke 
2  :40,  52. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  31 

2.  The  Dangers  of  an  Imperfect  Education. 

3.  Why  Paul  Almost  Failed  at  the  Beginning  of  His 
Career. 

4.  Can  a  Boy  or  a  Girl  Secure  a  Good  Education 
Without  Attending  Sunday  School  and  Church? 

5.  The  Advantages  of  the  Educated  Person  in 
Business. 

6.  What  I  Admire  Most  in  Gamaliel,  the  Teacher  of 
Paul. 

7.  The  Place  of  Religious  Education  in  the  Establish¬ 
ment  of  a  Moral  Life.  (For  the  pastor,  city-school  super¬ 
intendent,  or  some  other  adult  person.) 

8.  The  Importance  of  Religious  Education  in  the  Life 
of  a  Nation. 

9.  Ways  in  Which  We  Can  Help  to  Improve  the 
Educational  Work  of  Our  Church. 

10.  Why  the  Teaching  Task  Is  One  of  Opportunities 
and  Responsibilities. 

The  Lesson  Truth  Expressed  in  a  Law 

The  Law  of  Humanity  and  Service.  The  people  who 
have  been  most  truly  and  most  fully  educated  have  lived 
humble  and  helpful  lives.  Therefore  : 

1.  We  will  strive  in  every  way  for  self-improvement, 
but  we  will  not  be  proud  of  our  attainments  and  disdain¬ 
ful  toward  others. 

2.  We  will  remember  that  what  we  have  learned  we 
owe  to  others  and  that  it  is,  at  best,  but  small  when  com¬ 
pared  with  the  great  stores  of  undiscovered  truth. 

3.  We  will  remember  that  we  need  the  wisdom  which 
comes  from  God  to  direct  our  lives,  and  we  will  humbly 
seek  his  guidance. 

Projects  for  Putting  the  Lesson  Truths 

Into  Practice 

Have  the  class  study  the  educational  system  of  their 
church  under  the  guidance  of  the  teacher.  Investigate 
such  items  as  the  following:  Is  the  Sunday  school  reach¬ 
ing  its  constituency?  Is  the  average  attendance  of  the 
church  school  up  to  the  average  attendance  of  the  public 


32 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


schools  of  the  same  community?  Are  pupils  and  teachers 
punctual  ?  Is  the  order  in  the  church  school  as  good  as  it 
is  in  a  well-regulated  public  school?  Are  the  lesson 
materials  of  the  church  school  as  interesting  and  attrac¬ 
tive  in  form  as  the  lesson  materials  of  the  public  schools? 
Help  pupils  to  undertake  projects  for  improving  the 
church  school  in  whatever  respect  seems  advisable. 


CHAPTER  III 
BEGINNING  HIS  CAREER 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

TEACHING  AND  TENT-MAKING  IN  TARSUS  WHILE 
MOMENTOUS  EVENTS  WERE  OCCURRING 

IN  JUDEA 

John  21 :25  ;  Mark  7  : 1  -23  ;  Acts  2 : 1  -1 3 ;  6 :8-15 ;  ch.  7 

The  New  Testament  does  not  say  that. Paul  returned 
to  his  home  in  Tarsus  after  completing  his  schooling  in 
Jerusalem,  but  it  is  quite  certain  that  he  did  so.  Paul 
must  have  been  absent  from  Judea  during  the  ministry  of 
Jesus,  else  he  would  have  certainly  seen  Jesus  at  some 
time.  Paul  does  not  mention  having  met  Jesus  at  any 
time  except  at  that  moment  on  the  Damascus  road  when 
he  heard  the  voice  which  turned  him  away  from  a  career 
of  persecuting  to  a  career  of  preaching.  Young  men  who 
were  expecting  to  become  rabbis  often  completed  the 
learning  of  a  trade  after  they  had  finished  their  schooling 
and  it  may  be  that  Paul  went  back  to  Tarsus  to  take  up 
again  the  task  of  learning  to  make  tents  and  the  cloth 
out  of  which  the  tents  of  that  time  were  constructed. 

Years  of  Obscurity.  We  lose  sight  of  Paul  for  some 
six  or  seven  years  after  he  left  the  Jerusalem  school. 
He  is  thought  to  have  been  living  in  Tarsus  during  this 
period.  He  was  doubtless  teaching  in  some  synagogue 
school  during  the  time  and  earning  his  living  in  out-of¬ 
school  hours  by  laboring  at  his  trade.  From  what  we 
know  of  Paul’s  disposition  we  may  be  sure  that  he  was 
throwing  himself  into  his  work  with  energy  and  enthu¬ 
siasm.  His  studies  in  Jerusalem  had  made  him  still  more 
devoted  to  the  law  of  Moses  than  he  had  been  when  he 
left  Tarsus  for  the  great  center  of  the  Jewish  religion. 
Now  he  was  entering  upon  what  he  believed  to  be  his 
life  work.  He  was  teaching  young  boys  to  know  and 

33 


34 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


obey  the  law  and  its  interpretations.  Paul  was  as  yet 
unknown  to  any  great  extent  among  his  countrymen. 
He  was  just  like  thousands  of  other  rabbis  who  were 
teaching  boys  in  the  synagogues  of  the  Jews  scattered 
over  the  known  world.  He  was  passing  through  a  period 
of  obscurity.  Many  men  who  have  become  famous  have 
had  similar  experiences.  They  have  labored  on  for  years 
in  some  obscure  corner  of  the  world  at  a  humdrum  task. 
They  have  done  their  work  well  because  they  loved  it. 
They  have  been  big  men  in  small  places  and  have  thus 
become  fit  to  be  big  men  in  big  places. 

Exciting  News  out  of  Judea.  Momentous  events  were 
occurring  in  and  about  Jerusalem  and  in  other  sections 
of  Judea  and  Galilee  during  the  years  Paul  spent  as  a 
teacher  and  tentmaker  in  Tarsus.  Paul  must  have  heard 
about  these  events.  He  was  far  too  much  concerned 
about  the  future  of  his  nation  not  to  have  kept  himself 
informed  about  events  of  major  importance  in  Palestine. 
He  had  left  Jerusalem  but  it  is  likely  that  he  kept  up  cor¬ 
respondence  with  some  of  his  acquaintances  there.  We 
may  believe  that  Paul  heard  about  the  preaching  of  a 
strange  prophet  who  had  arisen  in  the  Wilderness  of 
Judea  and  who  called  upon  the  nation  to  repent  in  prepa¬ 
ration  for  the  coming  of  the  Messiah.  The  message  of 
John  the  Baptist  must  have  stirred  Paul  deeply,  for  like 
other  Pharisees  he  was  expecting  the  Messiah  to  appear 
as  the  deliverer  of  Israel  from  the  rule  of  the  Romans. 

Paul  must  have  heard  later  about  the  prophet  from 
Nazareth  who  was  drawing  such  multitudes  after  him  and 
proclaiming  that  the  day  for  the  establishment  of  God’s 
Kingdom  was  come.  Paul  would  be  apt  to  correspond 
with  people  who  were  Pharisees.  The  information  which 
he  received  about  both  John  the  Baptist  and  about  Jesus 
would  therefore  be  strongly  tinged  by  the  prejudices  of 
the  Pharisees.  Paul  doubtless  watched  from  afar  the 
march  of  events  in  Palestine  and  felt  a  sense  of  relief 
when  he  learned  that  the  Nazarene  teacher  had  been 
crucified  and  his  followers  scattered.  He  probably 
thought  that  the  matter  had  thus  been  brought  to  an  end 
and  the  beloved  law  saved  from  a  dangerous  heresy  which 
had  threatened  for  a  time  to  destroy  it, 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


35 


The  Far-Flung  Echoings  of  Pentecost.  Paul  must 
have  heard  of  Pentecost  soon  after  the  events  of  that 
remarkable  day.  People  from  all  over  the  world  were 
present  on  the  day  when  the  followers  of  Jesus  received 
a  new  inspiration  through  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
upon  them.  These  Jews  of  the  Dispersion  carried  the 
news  of  Pentecost  to  the  uttermost  regions  of  the  known 
earth.  The  dangers  which  Paul  had  believed  to  be  over 
would  now  be  seen  to  be  greater  than  before.  The  fol¬ 
lowers  of  the  Nazareth  teacher  were  boldly  proclaiming 
that  their  leader  had  risen  from  the  dead  and  that  he  was 
the  Messiah  for  whom  the  Jewish  nation  had  so  long  been 
waiting.  Moreover,  this  preaching  was  producing  aston¬ 
ishing  results.  Three  thousand  people  had  accepted  Jesus 
as  the  Messiah  on  one  day  and  the  number  of  people  who 
professed  themselves  followers  of  Jesus  was  increasing 
daily.  Many  of  the  high  officials  like  the  priests  were 
numbered  among  those  who  had  accepted  the  new  faith. 

Paul’s  Return  to  Jerusalem.  At  this  crisis  Paul  ap¬ 
peared  once  more  in  Jerusalem.  We  do  not  know  that 
reports  concerning  events  in  Judea  had  anything  to  do 
with  his  return,  but  it  seems  likely  that  such  was  the  case. 
It  may  be  that  the  Pharisees  in  Jerusalem  summoned  him 
to  come  and  assume  leadership  in  the  movements  they 
were  planning  to  put  in  operation  for  the  checking  of 
the  new  religion.  We  know  that  Paul  assumed  this 
position  of  leadership  soon  after  his  return  to  Jerusalem 
and  it  seems  likely  that  he  came  back  to  the  city  with  this 
task  in  view.  He  was  just  the  kind  of  man  the  Pharisees 
would  choose  for  such  a  task.  He  was  young,  vigorous, 
intensely  devoted  to  the  religious  customs  of  his  fore¬ 
fathers,  fiercely  opposed  to  anything  which  seemed  to 
endanger  the  traditional  interpretations  of  the  law.  All 
these  facts  make  it  easy  to  believe  that  he  was  called 
from  afar  to  take  charge  of  the  forces  which  were  lined 
up  against  the  youthful  Church  which  had  sprung  up 
out  of  the  seed  sown  by  the  Teacher  from  Nazareth. 

Impassioned  Debates.  The  Pharisees  seem  to  have  be¬ 
lieved  at  first  that  they  could  silence  the  leaders  of  the 
Christians  by  arguments.  The  Pharisees  were  expert  in 
this  respect.  They  had  been  trained  in  it  with  great 


36 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


care.  The  leaders  of  the  Christians  gladly  accepted  the 
challenge.  Among  the  Christians  was  a  young  man 
named  Stephen.  He  developed  great  powers  as  a  debater 
with  those  who  opposed  the  religion  of  Jesus.  An  impas¬ 
sioned  argument  followed  the  meeting  of  these  opposing 
forces.  The  subject  of  discussion  centered  about  the 
Mosaic  law  and  Jesus  as  the  one  who  was  to  fulfill  that 
law  as  the  Messiah  sent  from  God.  The  Jews  of  the 
Dispersion  took  a  leading  part  in  this  argument  against 
Christianity.  Stephen  himself  was  probably  one  of 
these  Jews  from  the  countries  lying  outside  of  Palestine. 
We  are  not  told  that  Paul  took  part  in  these  debates, 
but  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  he  did  so.  Some 
of  those  who  opposed  Stephen  are  said  to  have  been  from 
Cilicia,  Paul’s  own  province,  and  it  is  likely  that  Paul 
was  one  of  them. 

Plotting  Stephen’s  Destruction.  Acts.  6:8-15.  The 
opponents  of  Stephen  were  not  able  to  stand  against  him. 
We  are  told  that  “they  were  not  able  to  withstand  the 
wisdom  and  the  spirit  by  which  he  spake.”  Filled  with 
rage  at  their  defeat  before  the  multitudes,  and  burning 
with  fanatical  fear  for  the  safety  of  the  traditions  which 
they  adored  as  the  very  truth  of  God,  these  enemies  of 
Stephen  plotted  to  destroy  their  opponent.  They  could 
not  answer  his  arguments  with  facts  and  evidences,  there¬ 
fore  they  would  answer  after  another  fashion.  They 
hired  false  witnesses  who  swore  that  they  had  heard 
Stephen  speak  blasphemous  words  against  Moses  and 
against  God.  So  he  was  arrested  and  brought  before  the 
sanhedrin  for  trial.  Here  the  false  witnesses  again  ap¬ 
peared  and  said,  “This  man  ceaseth  not  to  speak  words 
against  this  holy  place,  and  the  law :  for  we  have  heard 
him  say,  that  this  Jesus  of  Nazareth  shall  destroy  this 
place,  and  shall  change  the  customs  which  Moses  deliv¬ 
ered  unto  us.”  The  charge  is  thus  seen  to  have  been  that 
of  profaning  the  Temple  by  saying  that  it  would  one  day 
be  destroyed,  and  that  of  endangering  the  traditional  in¬ 
terpretations  of  the  Mosaic  law  by  saying  that  these  inter¬ 
pretations  would  some  day  be  changed  through  the  power 
of  the  religion  which  Jesus  had  inaugurated.  Neither  of 
these  assertions  were  really  blasphemous.  They  were 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


37 


probably  perversions  of  something  which  Stephen  had 
said  in  his  arguments  with  his  opponents,  and  they  had 
now  been  seized  upon  as  pretexts  for  raising  the  fury  of 
the  multitudes  against  him. 

Facing  the  Highest  Tribunal  of  the  Jewish  People. 

Acts,  ch.  7.  As  Stephen  faced  his  accusers  before  the 
sanhedrin,  his  countenance  took  on  the  glow  which  some¬ 
times  accompanies  lofty  spiritual  experiences.  We  are 
told  that  “all  that  sat  in  the  council,  fastening  their  eyes 
on  him,  saw  his  face  as  it  had  been  the  face  of  an  angel/’ 
The  high  priest  said  to  Stephen,  “Are  these  things  so?” 
Then  Stephen  made  his  defense.  His  address  is  a  master¬ 
piece  of  argumentative  eloquence.  As  we  read  it  we 
understand  why  his  antagonists  had  not  been  “able  to 
withstand  the  wisdom  and  the  Spirit  by  which  he  spake.” 

He  reviewed  the  history  of  the  chosen  people,  showing 
how  the  same  blind  conservatism  which  now  was  so 
clearly  manifested  by  his  opponents  had  all  down  the  cen¬ 
turies  opposed  the  carrying  out  of  the  plans  of  God.  He 
showed  how  Moses  had  predicted  the  coming  of  the  Mes¬ 
siah.  He  declared  how  the  forefathers  turned  against 
Moses  and  longed  for  a  return  to  Egypt  and  demanded 
that  Aaron  make  them  gods  which  might  go  before  them 
in  their  wanderings. 

The  address  of  Stephen  was  never  completed.  He 
reached  a  point  where  he  burst  forth  in  a  scathing  denun¬ 
ciation  of  his  opponents:  “Ye  stiffnecked  and  uncircum¬ 
cised  in  heart  and  ears,  ye  do  always  resist  the  Holy 
Spirit:  as  your  fathers  did,  so  do  ye.  Which  of  the 
prophets  did  not  your  fathers  persecute?  and  they  killed 
them  that  showed  before  of  the  coming  of  the  Righteous 
One ;  of  whom  ye  have  now  become  betrayers  and  mur¬ 
derers  ;  ye  who  received  the  law  as  it  was  ordained  by 
angels,  and  kept  it  not.”  This  bold  accusation  was  an¬ 
swered  with  a  wild  outburst  of  enraged  denunciation 
from  the  opponents  of  Stephen.  They  gnashed  their 
teeth  in  rage  and  the  assembly  was  in  an  uproar.  Know¬ 
ing  that  his  last  hour  had  come,  Stephen  looked  up 
toward  heaven  and  cried  out,  “Behold,  I  see  the  heavens 
opened,  and  the  Son  of  man  standing  on  the  right  hand 
of  God.”  The  enemies  of  Stephen  stopped  their  ears 


38 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


lest  they  should  hear  more  of  these  words  of  Stephen 
which  they  regarded  as  blasphemous.  They  rushed  upon 
him,  dragging  him  from  the  Temple,  through  the  streets 
of  the  city,  through  the  gates,  out  to  the  open  spaces 
beyond  the  walls,  and  there  they  stoned  him  to  death. 

Paul  in  the  New  Testament  Narratives.  At  this  tragic 
point  in  the  historical  sketch  which  we  have  come  to  call 
The  Acts,  Paul  is  mentioned  for  the  first  time.  He  was 
present  at  the  stoning  of  Stephen.  Those  who  cast  off 
their  outer  garments  in  order  to  take  part  in  the  stoning 
of  the  first  Christian  martyr  laid  down  their  clothing  at 
the  feet  of  Paul,  thus  indicating  not  only  that  Paul  was 
present  but  that  he  was  there  as  a  recognized  overseer  of 
the  affair.  His  career  as  a  persecutor  of  the  Christians 
was  begun. 


Suggestions  for  Notebook  Work 

Draw  in  the  notebooks  an  outline  map  of  Herod’s 
Temple,  locating  the  various  courts  and  porches.  A  map 
showing  the  floor  plan  of  the  Temple  is  to  be  found  in 
most  Bible  dictionaries.  Have  pupils  write  a  short  essay 
on  “Stephen,  the  First  Christian  Martyr.”  Picture: 
Tomb  of  David  in  Jerusalem,  No.  184. 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

PERSECUTING  THE  CHURCH  OF  CHRIST 
Acts  8:1-3;  9:1,  2;  26:9-11 

We  have  in  these  lessons  several  times  referred  to 
Paul  as  one  of  the  greatest  men  of  all  the  centuries.  He 
was  great  because  of  the  good  he  accomplished  in  his 
life,  but  he  came  near  being  great  in  the  opposite  direc¬ 
tion,  that  is,  great  in  the  amount  of  evil  he  brought  to 
pass.  His  life  moved  strongly  in  that  direction  for  a 
time.  Possessing  powers  of  mind  and  elements  of  per¬ 
sonality  which  amounted  to  those  of  a  genius,  he  was  all 
the  more  dangerous  because  of  these  gifts,  so  long  as 
he  was  pursuing  a  course  which  ran  counter  to  the  plans 
of  God.  In  this  lesson  we  are  to  consider  the  compara- 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  39 

tively  brief  period,  perhaps  a  year  or  a  little  less,  during 
which  Paul  was  leading  the  first  serious  and  far-reaching 
persecution  of  the  followers  of  Jesus. 

The  Timidity  of  the  Jewish  Leaders  in  Jerusalem.  As 
we  read  the  early  chapters  of  The  Acts,  we  are  impressed 
by  the  fact  that  the  Jewish  leaders  pursued  a  somewhat 
timid  course  in  their  dealings  with  the  apostles.  They 
manifested  none  of  that  grim  and  vigorous  determination 
which  had  marked  their  attitude  toward  Jesus  only  a  few 
months  before.  Yet  the  same  leaders  were  still  in  con¬ 
trol.  Annas  and  Caiaphas  had  been  the  chief  plotters 
against  Jesus  and  they  were  now  the  leaders  in  the  move¬ 
ment  to  destroy  the  religion  which  Jesus  had  inaugurated. 
Why  did  they  not  stamp  out  all  vestiges  of  the  Christian 
religion  forthwith?  It  is  a  significant  fact  that  the  oppo¬ 
sition  to  the  Christians  developed  strongly  among  the 
Jews  of  the  Dispersion  and  that  Paul  who  had  been 
absent  from  Palestine  during  the  ministry  of  Jesus  ulti¬ 
mately  became  the  leader  of  the  movement  looking  to¬ 
ward  the  extinction  of  the  new  religion.  We  can  best 
explain  these  facts  by  supposing  that  the  events  con¬ 
nected  with  the  death  of  Jesus  and  the  evidences  concern¬ 
ing  his  resurrection  had  awed  leaders  like  Annas  and 
Caiaphas.  They  still  pursued  their  attitude  of  opposition 
to  the  Christian  faith  but  an  inward  fear  which  haunted 
them  day  and  night  had  broken  their  spirits.  Paul  and 
the  other  Jews  of  the  Dispersion,  not  having  seen  the 
darkness  which  fell,  over  the  earth  when  Jesus  was  on 
the  cross,  knowing  nothing  about  the  panic-stricken 
soldiers  who  had  told  of  the  descent  of  the  angel  on  the 
morning  of  the  resurrection,  believing  what  they  had 
been  told  about  the  disciples’  stealing  away  the  body  of 
Jesus,  were  still  fully  persuaded  that  the  teacher  from 
Nazareth  was  an  impostor.  But  leaders  like  Annas  and 
Caiaphas  knew  about  the  events  which  we  have  men¬ 
tioned.  They  had  seen  the  darkness  fall  upon  the  world 
as  Jesus  hung  on  the  cross  and  it  had  silenced  all  their 
boasting.  They  had  talked  with  the  terrified  soldiers 
who  had  fled  from  the  presence  of  the  angel.  They  knew 
that  the  disciples  of  Jesus  had  not  stolen  away  the  body 
of  their  Master.  These  leaders  had  themselves  fabricated 


40 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


that  story  and  they  knew  that  it  was  not  true.  They 
were  not  repentant  but  they  were  awed  into  an  inactivity 
which  is  in  striking  contrast  to  their  former  attitude  of 
confidence,  bravado,  and  vigor. 

Fitted  to  Be  the  Scourge  of  the  Christians.  Paul’s 
education  had  fitted  him  for  the  task  to  which  he  now 
addressed  himself.  He  had  been  taught  to  believe  that 
religion  consisted  in  a  strict  observance  of  the  Mosaic 
law  as  interpreted  by  the  ancient  rabbis.  He  was  very 
particular  about  the  kind  of  meat  he  ate,  he  washed  his 
hands  in  a  certain  way  and  at  stated  times,  he  would  not 
do  on  the  Sabbath  Day  any  act  which  the  rabbis  of  old 
had  declared  illegal,  he  kept  the  fast  days  rigorously. 
Paul  did  all  these  things  conscientiously,  but  he  did 
not  have  a  wide  sympathy.  He  was  narrow  and  cold  and 
hard  because  his  education  had  been  defective.  He  be¬ 
came  all  the  more  terrible  as  a  persecutor  because  he 
was  conscientious  in  it.  He  believed  that  the  religion  of 
his  fathers  contained  all  the  truth  which  God  had  given 
to  men  and  that  this  religion  was  now  in  peril  because 
of  the  new  religion  which  had  sprung  out  of  the  teach¬ 
ings  of  Jesus.  He  believed  that  he  was  justified  in  going 
to  any  length  in  saving  the  Jewish  religion  from  destruc¬ 
tion.  When  the  timidity  of  the  Jerusalem  leaders  had 
thrown  this  task  of  combating  Christianity  upon  the 
shoulders  of  Paul  he  accepted  it  willingly  and  without 
delay  set  out  to  accomplish  it  thoroughly  and  speedily. 

Methods  of  the  Persecutor.  Acts  26:9-11.  Paul  was 
a  man  of  tremendous  energy  and  he  now  put  his  whole 
soul  into  the  effort  to  destroy  the  religion  of  Jesus.  His 
aim  was  to  wipe  the  whole  sect  of  the  Christians  out  of 
existence.  At  a  later  time  Paul  wrote  of  his  attitude 
toward  the  Christians  when  he  was  leader  of  the  perse¬ 
cutions  and  he  says  that  he  was  “exceedingly  mad  against 
them.”  Paul’s  plan  was  to  lay  hold  of  every  professed 
follower  of  Jesus  and  to  cause  every  one  of  them  either 
to  renounce  Christ  or  to  suffer  death.  He  himself  said 
that  he  “strove  to  make  them  blaspheme.”  He  probably 
demanded  that  every  professed  follower  of  Jesus  deny 
the  Messiahship  of  Jesus  and  his  relation  to  the  Father 
as  the  only  begotten  Son.  Evidently  he  was  willing  to 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


41 


spare  the  life  of  any  Christian  who  would  thus  blaspheme 
the  name  of  Jesus  to  escape  death.  It  is  worth  noting 
that  Paul  says  that  he  “strove  to  make  them  blas¬ 
pheme.”  He  does  not  say  that  he  succeeded  in  any  case. 
Evidently  the  Christians  of  that  day  almost  or  quite 
without  exception  stood  by  their  faith,  even  at  the  cost 
of  their  lives.  When  the  Christians  refused  to  deny 
their  Lord,  Paul  gave  his  vote  against  them  in  the  san¬ 
hedrin  and  they  went  to  their  death. 

Laying  Waste  the  Church  in  Jerusalem.  Acts  8:1-3. 
The  first  blow  against  the  Christians  fell  upon  the  Jeru¬ 
salem  church.  Every  Christian  home  was  invaded  and 
its  inmates  dragged  away  to  prison,  unless  they  had 
already  sought  safety  in  flight.  The  Roman  governor 
seems  to  have  given  the  sanhedrin  full  authority  to  try 
and  punish  those  accused  of  being  followers  of  Jesus. 

The  church  in  Jerusalem  was  nearly  swept  out  of 
existence.  Many  of  the  Christians  fled  to  other  cities 
of  Palestine  or  out  into  the  other  provinces  of  the  Roman 
Empire.  Some  remained  in  Jerusalem  but  they  were 
in  hiding.  These  doubtless  kept  up  the  services  of  the 
church  in  caves  and  cellars  and  other  secret  places  where 
Paul  and  his  lieutenants  were  not  able  to  find  them. 
The  Christian  religion  had  been  driven  underground 
and  out  into  the  night,  but  it  had  not  been  destroyed  and 
it  began  to  grow  again  even  in  Jerusalem  in  spite  of  all 
that  Paul  and  the  other  persecutors  could  do. 

A  Blessing  in  Disguise.  Acts  8 :4-8.  The  persecutions 
proved  to  be  a  blessing  to  Christianity.  Jesus  had  com¬ 
manded  his  followers  to  tarry  in  Jerusalem  until  they 
should  receive  power  from  on  high.  After  receiving  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  they  were  to  “go  .  .  .  into  all 
the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  the  whole  creation.” 
The  Christians  did  not  at  once  take  up  the  sublime  task 
to  which  their  Leader  had  appointed  them.  They  seem 
to  have  settled  down  in  Jerusalem,  content  to  live  a  happy 
life  of  Christian  brotherhood  among  themselves.  The 
persecutions  scattered  Christianity  over  a  large  section 
of  the  Roman  Empire.  Fleeing  from  the  persecutions  in 
Jerusalem,  the  Christians  entered  Samaria  and  Antioch 
and  Cyprus.  Everywhere  they  went  they  preached  the 


42 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Christian  faith.  As  a  result  of  the  persecutions  under  the 
leadership  of  Paul,  the  foreign  mission  enterprise  which 
Jesus  had  commanded  his  disciples  to  undertake  was 
now  begun. 

Following  the  Fugitives  to  Strange  Cities.  Paul’s  at¬ 
tempt  to  destroy  Christianity  in  Jerusalem  had  been  like 
a  whirlwind  striking  a  burning  brush  pile  and  scattering 
blazing  fragments  far  and  wide  through  a  forest.  He 
must  have  seen  that  his  efforts  had  made  matters  worse. 
He  began  to  hear  of  Christian  churches  springing  up  in 
Samaria  and  Damascus  and  Antioch.  Paul  was  not  a 
person  to  give  up,  however.  He  had  at  least  suppressed 
the  Christian  movement  in  Jerusalem.  He  had  driven  it 
underground.  He  would  pursue  his  task  to  completion, 
moreover;  he  would  follow  the  Christians  into  all  the 
cities  and  countries  whence  they  had  fled  and  he  would 
destroy  them  there  as  he  had  done  in  Jerusalem.  The 
peculiar  status  of  the  Jews  in  most  of  the  Roman  Empire 
made  it  possible  for  Paul  to  follow  them  and  persecute 
them  almost  everywhere.  The  Jews  of  most  cities  and 
countries  of  the  Roman  Empire  were  regarded  as  still  a 
part  of  the  Jewish  nation  in  Palestine  and  subject  to  the 
government  there.  This  made  it  possible  for  Paul  to 
secure  authority  from  the  sanhedrin  and  to  go  into  almost 
any  city,  seize  those  accused  of  being  Christians,  and 
bring  them  back  to  Jerusalem  for  trial.  The  task  of  sup¬ 
pressing  Christianity  had  now  assumed  proportions  far 
beyond  what  Paul  had  expected,  but  he  was  not  to  be 
deterred  by  increasing  difficulties  and  enlarged  tasks. 
He  set  about  his  larger  and  more  difficult  task  of  eradi¬ 
cating  Christianity  from  half  of  the  Roman  Empire  with 
the  same  relentless  energy  that  had  characterized  his 
first  move  against  the  Jerusalem  church. 

The  Lesson  Prayer 

Our  Father  in  heaven,  teach  us  to  appreciate  the 
Church  of  thy  Son.  When  we  think  how  the  founders  of 
the  Church  endured  persecutions  and  gave  up  their  lives 
that  the  religion  of  Jesus  might  not  perish  from  the 
earth,  we  realize  how  precious  is  the  Church  of  our  own 
day.  Enable  us  not  only  to  appreciate  the  Church  but 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  43 

also  to  show  our  appreciation  by  laboring  faithfully  to 
make  the  Church  strong.  Grant  that  each  of  us  may 
give  of  our  money  for  the  support  of  the  Church  and 
for  the  support  of  all  the  undertakings  in  which  the 
Church  is  engaged.  Help  us  to  give  a  just  portion  of 
our  time  to  the  doing  of  the  tasks  which  the  Church 
would  have  us  do. 

Guide  us  in  the  study  of  these  lessons.  Teach  us  to 
avoid  those  habits  and  attitudes  which  give  us  the  spirit 
of  selfishness  and  intolerance.  Teach  us  to  be  kind  and 
just  and  sympathetic.  We  ask  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  thy 
Son.  Amen. 

Supplemental  Missionary  Story 

“Fighting  the  Slave  Trade.”  “The  Book  of  Missionary 
Heroes,”  page  172.  _ 

EXPRESSION AL  SESSION 

THE  PLACE  OF  TOLERANCE  IN  A  GREAT  AND 

USEFUL  LIFE 

Mark  9:38-40;  Luke  9:51-56 

We  have  seen  how  Paul’s  education  had  made  him 
intolerant.  It  is  right  that  a  person  should  believe  with 
his  whole  soul  that  which  he  has  accepted  as  the  truth. 
A  person  can  do  this  and  still  be  tolerant  toward  others. 
Intolerance  is  that  attitude  of  an  individual  or  of  an  or¬ 
ganization  which  denies  to  other  individuals  or  other 
organizations  the  right  to  judge  for  themselves,  especially 
in  religious  matters,  though  the  spirit  of  intolerance  is 
manifested  in  other  matters  than  those  which  are  dis¬ 
tinctly  religious.  The  two  passages  of  Scripture  chosen 
as  the  basis  of  this  session  of  the  church  school  give  us 
good  illustrations  of  intolerance  and  toleration.  The 
disciple  John  saw  a  certain  man  casting  out  demons  in 
the  name  of  Jesus.  This  man  was  not  a  regular  disciple. 
He  had  probably  not  been  given  authority  to  do  what  he 
was  doing.  John  told  the  man  that  he  must  not  use  the 
name  of  Jesus  any  more  because  he  was  not  one  of  the 
regular  disciples.  John  had  exactly  the  spirit  of  intol¬ 
erance  which  has  unfortunately  been  manifested  from 


44 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


time  to  time  among  the  different  denominations  into 
which  the  followers  of  Jesus  have  been  divided.  People 
of  some  one  denomination  have  sometimes  come  to  feel 
that  they  are  the  true  followers  of  Jesus  and  that  the 
people  of  other  denominations  are  irregular  followers 
who  really  have  no  right  to  be  called  Christians.  This 
is  the  spirit  of  intolerance  and  bigotry  which  has  been 
a  great  hindrance  to  the  cause  of  Christ  in  the  world. 

In  this  same  incident  Jesus  has  given  us  an  illustration 
of  true  toleration.  He  said  to  his  disciple :  “Forbid  him 
not:  for  there  is  no  man  who  shall  do  a  mighty  work  in 
my  name,  and  be  able  quickly  to  speak  evil  of  me.  For 
he  that  is  not  against  us  is  for  us.”  With  Jesus  the  mat¬ 
ter  of  greatest  importance  was  not  whether  the  man  was 
a  regular  follower  or  not,  but  whether  he  was  doing  a 
useful  and  helpful  deed  in  the  name  of  Jesus.  If  this  spirit 
of  toleration  had  always  characterized  the  followers  of 
Jesus  to  the  extent  it  characterized  their  Leader,  the 
Church  might  have  escaped  many  harmful  controversies 
and  disastrous  divisions. 

The  second  passage  of  Scripture  shows  us  how  intoler¬ 
ant  the  disciples  were  toward  the  people  of  a  certain 
Samaritan  village  who  had  refused  hospitality  to  Jesus 
and  his  followers.  James  and  John  wished  to  call  down 
fire  from  heaven  to  destroy  these  Samaritan  villagers. 
Jesus  was  tolerant  toward  those  who  had  offered  the 
offense.  He  rebuked  his  disciples  and  then  the  company 
went  on  to  the  next  village.  Toleration  toward  those 
who  differ  with  them,  who  oppose  them,  and  even  offer 
them  personal  indignities,  has  been  a  characteristic  of 
many  of  the  truly  great  men  and  women  of  history.  Be¬ 
cause  of  his  disposition  and  also  because  of  his  education 
it  was  hard  for  Paul  to  learn  the  lesson  of  toleration. 
That  he  did  ultimately  learn  it  will  become  manifest  as 
we  pursue  the  story  of  his  life. 

Some  Truths  from  the  Lessons  We  Have 

Been  Studying 

Gamaliel  was  tolerant  toward  the  Christians  but  in 
some  way  Paul  had  failed  to  become  like  his  great  teacher 
in  this  respect. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


45 


Intolerance  often  injures  the  person  who  manifests  it 
more  than  it  injures  the  person  toward  whom  it  is  mani¬ 
fested.  So  long  as  Paul  was  intolerant  toward  the  Chris¬ 
tians  he  was  shutting  the  light  out  of  his  own  soul. 

Like  all  other  virtues  toleration  must  have  the  right 
motive  back  of  it.  Annas  and  Caiaphas  were  more  toler¬ 
ant  toward  the  followers  of  Jesus  than  they  had  been 
toward  Jesus  himself;  but  their  toleration  was  the  result 
of  fear  and  weakness  rather  than  the  result  of  kindness 
and  .a  sense  of  justice. 

Review  Questions 

1.  What  evidences  have  we  that  Paul  went  back  to 
Tarsus  after  completing  his  schooling  in  Jerusalem? 

2.  Outline  the  events  which  occurred  in  Judea  and 
Galilee  while  Paul  was  teaching  and  making  tents  in 
Tarsus. 

3.  Why  do  you  think  Paul  returned  to  Jerusalem? 

4.  What  was  the  topic  of  discussion  in  the  debates 
between  Stephen  and  those  who  opposed  him? 

5.  Tell  of  the  martyrdom  of  Stephen. 

6.  Why  were  the  leaders  of  the  Jews  in  Jerusalem 
more  tolerant  toward  the  Christians  than  the  Jews  of 
the  Dispersion  were? 

7.  In  what  ways  had  Paul’s  education  fitted  him  to 
become  a  persecutor? 

8.  Tell  of  the  methods  Paul  used  in  his  efforts  to 
destroy  Christianity. 

9.  How  did  it  happen  that  Paul  could  pursue  the 
Christians  into  other  iands  and  bring  them  back  to  Jeru¬ 
salem  for  trial  ? 

10.  What  is  meant  by  the  term  “tolerance”? 

Bibee  Verses 

John  16:12-14;  Rom.  1:14;  I  Cor.  13:1,  2,  4-7,  9,  12; 
Gal.  6:2-5,  Eph.  4:32. 

Study  Topics 

1.  Gamaliel’s  Tolerant  Attitude  Toward  the  Apostles. 
Acts  5  :33-40. 


46 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


2.  What  Jesus  Taught  Concerning  Tolerance  Toward 
Persons  Who  Are  Selfish  and  Rude.  Matt.  5  :38-42. 

3.  Is  It  Possible  to  Be  Tolerant  Toward  Those  Who 
Are  Doing  Wrong  and  at  the  Same  Time  Not  Excuse 
Them  for  Wrongdoing  or  Encourage  Them  in  Their 
Evil  Ways?  (Study  the  attitude  of  Jesus  toward  the 
publicans.) 

4.  Ought  We  to  Be  Tolerant  Toward  People  Whom 
We  Know  to  Be  Holding  Religious  Opinions  Which  Are 
Untrue?  (Study  the  attitude  of  Jesus  toward  the 
Samaritans.) 

5.  Some  Evils  Toward  Which  We  Ought  Not  to 
Manifest  a  Spirit  of  Toleration.  (For  example  the  liquor 
business,  impure  conversation  on  the  part  of  our  com¬ 
panions,  ridicule  of  sacred  things,  and  the  like.) 

6.  Paul’s  Tolerant  Attitude  Toward  People  Who  Had 
Peculiar  Notions  About  the  Eating  of  Certain  Kinds  of 
Meat.  Rom.  14:13-21. 

7.  John’s  Intolerant  Attitude  Toward  Doctrines 
Which  Dishonor  Jesus  Christ.  I  John  5:10. 

8.  A  Church  Reproved  for  Being  Tolerant  Toward 
False  Teachings.  Rev.  2:12-17. 

9.  Tolerance  Toward  Oneself.  (Do  you  tolerate  poor 
work  done  by  yourself,  acts  of  discourtesy,  and  the  like? 
Or  do  you  call  yourself  to  account  for  such  failures  and 
demand  of  yourself  better  conduct  for  the  future?) 

10.  Occasions  When  a  Christian  Ought  to  Be  Toler¬ 
ant.  (For  the  pastor  or  other  adult  person.) 

The  Lesson  Truth  Expressed  in  a  Law 

The  Law  of  Tolerance.  The  domain  of  truth  is  so 
great  and  we  are  all  so  likely  to  be  mistaken  in  our  con¬ 
ceptions  of  truth  that  a  tolerant  attitude  toward  those 
whose  opinions  differ  from  our  own  is  usually  a  wise 
policy.  Therefore: 

1.  We  will  be  tolerant  toward  those  whose  customs 
and  ideas  differ  from  our  own. 

2.  We  will  be  tolerant  toward  those  whose  religion 
differs  from  our  own,  whenever  we  can  do  so  without 
sanctioning  that  which  is  positively  evil  or  without  com¬ 
promising  our  own  religious  convictions. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


47 


3.  We  will  strive  to  be  tolerant  toward  any  who  are 
discourteous  or  rude  to  us  and  we  will  try  under  such 
circumstances  to  follow  the  teachings  of  Jesus  and  his 
example. 

Projects  tor  Putting  the  Lesson  Truths 

Into  Practice 

Have  the  class  make  a  study  of  the  local  Christian 
Endeavor  Union  if  there  is  one  in  the  community.  If 
there  is  none,  consider  the  advisability  of  organizing 
some  such  interdenominational  body  for  the  young  people 
of  the  community.  Have  the  class  visit  church  services 
in  denominations  and  religious  bodies  different  from  the 
denomination  to  which  the  church  school  belongs.  Dis¬ 
cuss  the  services  visited  with  a  view  to  developing  in 
the  pupils  a  sympathetic  attitude  toward  the  forms  oL 
religious  worship  which  differ  from  those  of  their  own 
Church. 


CHAPTER  IV 

A  VISION  OF  JESUS  AND  A  CHANGED  LIFE 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

A  SUDDEN  END  OF  A  PERSECUTING  CAREER 
Acts  9:1-9;  22:3-21;  26:12-1 8 

The  conversion  of  Paul  was  one  of  the  most  important 
events  in  the  early  Church.  It  was  important  because  it 
won  to  the  Christian  cause  one  who  became  a  tremendous 
power  for  spreading  the  religion  of  Jesus  over  the  known 
world.  It  was  likewise  important  because  it  demon¬ 
strated  the  power  of  the  risen  Saviour  to  overcome  his 
opponents  and  to  make  of  them  his  most  devoted  allies. 
In  the  conversion  of  Paul,  Jesus  was  shown  to  be  more 
than  a  conqueror.  Realizing  the  importance  of  the  con¬ 
version  of  Paul,  the  writers  of  the  New  Testament  were 
careful  to  gather  and  record  much  information  concern¬ 
ing  it.  We  have  a  greater  number  of  accounts  of  the  con¬ 
version  of  Paul  and  more  detailed  information  concerning 
that  event  than  is  recorded  concerning  the  conversion  of 
any  other  character  in  the  Scriptures.  There  are  three 
of  these  accounts  in  The  Acts;  there  is  one  account  in  the 
Epistle  to  the  Galatians ;  and  there  are  two  references 
to  the  event  in  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians.  In 
studying  about  the  conversion  of  Paul  we  are  therefore 
dealing  not  only  with  an  event  of  momentous  importance 
in  the  life  of  the  great  apostle  but  likewise  with  an  inci¬ 
dent  which  profoundly  influenced  the  growth  of  the 
Christian  Church.  We  are  also  dealing  with  a  subject  on 
which  the  New  Testament  has  given  us  more  extensive 
information  than  is  the  case  with  that  part  of  Paul’s  life 
which  we  have  taken  up  heretofore. 

Ruthless,  Remorseless,  and  Relentless.  Admiral  Fisher 
said  that  the  “The  Three  R’s  of  War”  are  Ruthless,  Re¬ 
morseless,  and  Relentless.  He  meant  that  the  successful 
soldier  must  not  be  deterred  from  pushing  his  task  vigor¬ 
ously  by  any  feeling  of  ruth  or  pity  for  his  antagonist, 

48 


Copyright  by  Harold  Copping 


PAUL  LET  DOWN  IN  A  BASKET 


/ 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


49 


that  he  must  not  allow  his  attacks  to  lose  vigor  through 
any  remorse  or  regrets  over  the  injury  he  had  wrought 
upon  his  enemy,  and  that  he  must  keep  right  on  punishing 
his  enemy  relentlessly  until  a  full  victory  is  assured. 
Paul  evidently  fulfilled  these  requirements  for  a  success¬ 
ful  warrior.  In  his  dealing  with  the  Christians  he  was 
ruthless,  remorseless,  and  relentless.  He  was  a  terrible 
fighter.  The  New  Testament  says  that  he  went  about 
“breathing  threatening  and  slaughter  against  the  dis¬ 
ciples  of  the  Lord.” 

Setting  Out  for  Damascus.  Acts  9:1,  2.  Having- 
learned  that  there  were  followers  of  Jesus  among  the 
Jews  dwelling  in  Damascus,  Paul  determined  to  visit 
that  city  and  deal  with  the  Christians  there  as  he  had 
dealt  with  the  Christians  in  Jerusalem.  Perhaps  the 
Christians  of  Damascus  were  for  the  most  part  people 
who  had  become  members  of  the  Christian  Church  in 
Jerusalem  and  had  fled  from  that  city  when  Paul  was 
ravaging  the  Jerusalem  church.  Paul  went  to  the  high 
priest  and  secured  from  him  letters  to  the  Jewish  syna¬ 
gogues  in  Damascus.  These  letters  informed  the  leaders 
of  the  Damascus  synagogues  that  Paul  was  commissioned 
by  the  high  priest,  who  was  also  the  chief  officer  of  the 
Jewish  supreme  court  called  the  sanhedrin,  to  seize  any 
Christians  whom  he  might  find  in  Damascus.  These 
letters  stated  that  the  Christians  were  to  be  seized  wher¬ 
ever  they  could  be  found  and  no  matter  whether  the  per¬ 
sons  arrested  were  men  or  women.  They  probably  com¬ 
manded  the  officers  of  the  Damascus  synagogues  and  all 
the  loyal  Jews  to  aid  Paul  in  seeking  out  and  securing 
those  who  were  suspected  of  being  followers  of  Jesus. 

Kicking  Against  the  Goad.  Rom.  7:18-25.  Did  the 
thought  that  he  might  be  mistaken  ever  enter  Paul’s 
mind  while  he  was  persecuting  the  Church  so  relent¬ 
lessly?  As  he  saw  Stephen  and  other  martyrs  die  with 
the  light  of  a  great  spiritual  peace  shining  in  their  faces 
and  prayers  for  the  forgiveness  of  their  persecutors  upon 
their  lips,  did  Paul  ever  stop  to  think  what  these  things 
indicated?  Did  any  word  of  Jesus  haunt  him  day  and 
night  with  an  insistent  suggestion  that  it  was  after  all 
not  the  false  statement  of  an  impostor  but  the  eternal 


50 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


truth  of  Jehovah?  We  can  give  no  sure  answer  to  the 
foregoing  questions,  but  many  who  have  studied  the 
New  Testament  narratives  deeply  believe  that  they  may 
all  be  answered  in  the  affirmative  with  a  high  proba¬ 
bility  of  such  an  answer’s  being  true.  These  New  Testa¬ 
ment  students  believe  that  when  Jesus  told  Paul  that  it 
was  hard  for  him  “to  kick  against  the  goad,’’  the  words 
of  Jesus  meant  that  Paul  was  resisting  an  inward  convic¬ 
tion  which  was  urging  him  on  toward  an  acceptance  of 
the  Christian  religion. 

In  his  letter  to  the  Romans,  Paul  wrote  of  certain  spir¬ 
itual  struggles  which  he  had  experienced  at  some  time 
in  his  life.  The  experiences  which  he  described  so  graph¬ 
ically  were  of  the  kind  which  we  might  expect  in  the  soul 
of  a  great  man  sincerely  mistaken  and  running  counter 
to  the  plans  of  God.  In  telling  of  these  spiritual  strug¬ 
gles  Paul  showed  how  the  attempt  to  keep  the  letter  of 
the  Mosaic  law  brought  him  no  sense  of  spiritual  victory, 
no  consciousness  that  he  was  right  with  God.  When  a 
person  does  that  which  is  well-pleasing  to  God  there  is 
an  inner  sense  of  peace  and  satisfaction,  but  when  a 
person  does  that  which  is  contrary  to  God’s  will  this 
sense  of  peace  and  satisfaction  is  absent,  even  though 
the  person  sincerely  believes  that  he  is  doing  the  will  of 
God.  This  is  what  we  call  a  mystic  sense  of  our  rela¬ 
tions  with  the  Creator  of  our  souls.  It  is  very  hard  to 
comprehend,  but  it  is  very  real.  It  exists  to  some  extent 
in  even  the  crudest  savages.  When  the  idolater  offers 
a  gift  to  an  image  made  of  wood  or  stone,  there  is  behind 
his  act  some  dim  consciousness  that  he  is  not  right  with 
God.  Paul  must  have  experienced  this  sense  of  estrange¬ 
ment  from  God  even  when  he  was  pursuing  his  task  of 
persecuting  the  Christians  in  all  sincere  belief  that  he 
was  doing  God’s  will. 

Paul  was  of  such  a  disposition  that  any  inward  uncer¬ 
tainties  would  make  him  all  the  more  vehement  in  his 
attacks  upon  the  Christians.  He  was  a  whole-souled 
person  who  must  be  all  one  thing  or  all  the  other.  So 
long  as  a  conviction  of  the  truth  of  Christ’s  teachings 
did  not  gain  mastery  over  him,  it  would  serve  as  a  spur 
to  greater  vigor  in  his  persecutions  of  the  Christians.  It 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


51 


may  have  been  that  it  was  with  a  sense  of  inner  conflict 
that  Paul  rode  out  of  the  Jerusalem  gates  and  set  his 
face  sternly  toward  Damascus. 

The  Voice  at  Midday.  Acts  26:9-18.  As  Paul  and  his 
company  drew  near  to  Damascus  certain  events  occurred 
which  terminated  abruptly  Paul’s  career  as  a  persecutor 
of  the  followers  of  Jesus.  In  his  address  before  King 
Agrippa,  Paul  said  that  as  he  journeyed  to  Damascus  he 
“saw  on  the  way  a  light  from  heaven,  above  the  bright¬ 
ness  of  the  sun,”  shining  round  about  him  and  them  that 
journeyed  with  him.  He  said  that  when  they  were  all 
fallen  to  the  earth,  he  heard  a  voice  saying  unto  him,  in 
the  Hebrew  language,  “Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest  thou 
me?  it  is  hard  for  thee  to  kick  against  the  goad.”  In 
answer  to  Paul’s  inquiry  as  to  who  the  speaker  might 
be,  the  voice  replied:  “I  am  Jesus  whom  thou  perse¬ 
cutest.  But  arise,  and  stand  upon  thy  feet :  for  to  this 
end  have  I  appeared  unto  thee,  to  appoint  thee  a  minister 
and  a  witness  both  of  the  things  wherein  thou  hast  seen 
me,  and  of  the  things  wherein  I  will  appear  unto  thee ; 
delivering  thee  from  the  people,  and  from  the  Gentiles, 
unto  whom  I  send  thee,  to  open  their  eyes,  that  they  may 
turn  from  darkness  to  light  and  from  the  power  of  Satan 
unto  God,  that  they  may  receive  remission  of  sins  and  an 
inheritance  among  them  that  are  sanctified  by  faith 
in  me.” 

A  Broken  and  a  Contrite  Heart.  Acts  22:3-11.  It 
may  be  that  Paul  suspected  who  it  was  that  was  speaking 
to  him  out  of  the  dazzling  light  and  saying,  “Saul,  Saul, 
why  persecutest  thou  me?”  He  knew  whose  followers  he 
was  persecuting  and  therefore  must  have  suspected  who 
it  was  who  looked  upon  this  persecution  of  his  followers 
as  a  persecution  of  himself  and  who  was  making  inquiry 
as  to  the  grounds  and  motives  for  this  course  of  action 
on  the  part  of  one  who  claimed  to  be  doing  the  will  of 
God.  Paul’s  answer  seems  to  intimate  the  same  proba¬ 
bility  for  he  replied  meekly,  “Who  art  thou,  Lord?” 
When  Paul  had  been  told  that  the  one  who  spoke  to  him 
was  none  other  than  Jesus  of  Nazareth  and  that  in  per¬ 
secuting  the  followers  of  Jesus  he  was  persecuting  Jesus 
himself,  Paul  answered  humbly,  “What  shall  I  do,  Lord?” 


52 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


In  that  moment  of  repentance,  the  fierce  persecutor  of 
Jesus  had  been  changed  into  the  loyal  servant  of  Jesus. 
In  that  moment  Paul  was  converted,  turned  face  about, 
started  in  the  opposite  direction  to  that  in  which  he  had 
been  going.  In  that  moment  he  renounced  his  allegiance 
to  the  old  system  of  religion  which  sought  righteousness 
through  a  rigid  keeping  of  the  interpretations  which  the 
rabbis  had  given  concerning  the  law  and  attached  his 
allegiance  to  a  living  personality  who  fulfilled  with  per¬ 
fectness  all  that  the  Mosaic  law  had  contained. 

The  Person  .Who  Spoke  Out  of  the  Dazzling  Bright¬ 
ness.  Some  years  ago  a  book  was  written  which  bore 
the  title,  “If  Christ  Came  to  Chicago.”  In  this  book  the 
author  undertook  to  tell  what  Jesus  would  do  if  he  came 
to  dwell  in  one  of  our  great  cities  as  he  once  dwelt  in 
Palestine.  A  person  reading  the  book  might  agree,  to  a 
certain  extent,  with  the  author’s  ideas  as  to  what  Jesus 
would  do  in  a  great  modern  city,  but  most  people  found 
many  things  in  the  book  with  which  they  could  not  agree. 
The  Jesus  pictured  by  the  author  did  not  seem  to  them 
to  be  the  Jesus  pictured  in  the  New  Testament. 

This  is  not  the  case  with  this  brief  account  of  the  ap¬ 
pearance  of  Jesus  at  the  conversion  of  Paul.  The  person 
who  spoke  to  Paul  was  evidently  the  same  Jesus  who 
once  trod  the  hills  of  Judea  and  Galilee.  It  was  like  Jesus 
to  answer  Paul’s  inquiry  with  the  simple  statement,  “I  am 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  whom  thou  persecutest.”  It  was  like 
Jesus  to  utter  no  word  of  censure  to  one  whom  he  knew 
to  be  already  penitent.  Like  the  father  of  the  prodigal 
who  received  back  his  wandering  son  without  reproof, 
Jesus  received  the  one  who,  more  than  any  other,  had 
made  havoc  of  the  Church  when  that  one  was  ready  to  re¬ 
nounce  his  former  manner  of  life  and  humbly  say,  “What 
shall  I  do,  Lord?”  It  was  like  Jesus  to  be  thinking  of 
the  vast  multitudes  of  the  Gentile  world  and  to  point  his 
newly  accepted  disciple  to  the  whitened  harvest  fields  of 
the  earth.  We  feel  as  we  read  the  account  that  the  one 
who  said  to  Paul,  “I  will  send  thee  to  the  Gentiles,  to 
open  their  eyes,  that  they  may  turn  from  darkness  to 
light,”  is  the  same  person  who  said  to  the  disciples,  “Go 
ye  therefore,  and  make  disciples  of  all  the  nations.” 


53 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 

Suggestions  eor  Notebook  Work 

Trace  on  the  notebook  maps  Paul’s  journey  from  Jeru¬ 
salem  down  through  Jericho  and  up  the  eastern  side  of 
the  Jordan  to  Damascus.  Have  pupils  record  in  their 
notebooks  as  many  facts  about  conversion  as  they  can 
glean  from  the  conversion  of  Paul,  as  well  as  from  books 
on  the  subject.  (See  Chart  No.  3,  page  23,  in  “The  Week 
Day  Church  School,”  by  Squires.)  Picture  for  the  note¬ 
book:  Conversion  of  St.  Paul,  by  Raphael,  No.  284. 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

A  NEW  CREATURE  IN  CHRIST 
John  3:1-7;  II  Cor.  5:17;  Acts  9:10-22 

In  the  conversion  of  Paul  we  have  an  illustration  of 
what  Jesus  meant  when  he  told  Nicodemus  that  if  he 
wished  to  enter  the  Kingdom  of  heaven  he  must  be  born 
again.  The  changes  wrought  in  Paul’s  life  and  character 
by  his  experiences  on  the  road  to  Damascus  were  so 
far-reaching  that  they  amounted  to  a  new  spiritual  birth. 
Paul  himself  felt  that  this  was  true  for  he  wrote  to  the 
Corinthians  telling  them  that  if  a  man  was  in  Christ  he 
was  a  new  creature.  These  experiences  had  made  Paul 
a  new  man  in  his  thinking  and  his  attitudes  and  his  life 
purposes. 

Changes  Wrought  in  Paul  by  His  Conversion.  Rom. 
3:21-26.  Paul’s  conversion  reversed  his  attitude  toward 
Jesus.  He  had  thought  of  Jesus  as  an  impostor  who  had 
suffered  death  as  a  dangerous  enemy  of  the  true  religion. 
After  his  conversion  he  thought  of  Jesus  as  God’s  Son 
whose  death  on  the  cross  made  it  possible  for  God  to 
forgive  the  sins  of  all  who  accept  Jesus  as  their  Saviour 
and  Lord.  Paul’s  conversion  reversed  his  attitude  toward 
the  followers  of  Jesus.  He  had  regarded  them  as  deluded 
fanatics  and  heretics  who  were  to  be  forced  back  into  the 
Jewish  religion  or  silenced  by  death.  He  came  through 
his  conversion  to  see  that  the  little  band  of  Christians 
whom  he  had  persecuted  so  bitterly  were  the  light  of  the 
world  and  the  salt  of  the  earth.  Paul’s  conversion  re- 


54 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


versed  his  life  purposes.  He  had  taken  it  as  his  task  to 
wipe  Christianity  from  off  the  earth.  After  his  conver¬ 
sion  he  took  it  as  his  life  task  to  spread  Christianity  in  so 
far  as  he  could  over  all  the  world.  Paul’s  conversion  re¬ 
versed  his  ideas  as  to  how  righteousness  is  to  be  attained. 
He  had  believed  that  the  righteous  life  was  to  be  gained 
through  keeping  the  Mosaic  law  as  it  had  been  explained 
by  the  ancient  rabbis.  He  saw  after  his  conversion  that 
righteousness  could  be  attained  only  through  faith  in 
Jesus  and  through  a  fellowship  with  him  which  molds 
the  life  of  the  follower  of  Jesus  into  the  likeness  of  the 
great  Teacher. 

Led  into  Damascus  Blind.  Acts  9:7-9.  Paul’s  com¬ 
panions  in  travel  were  rendered  speechless  by  the  events 
on  the  road  just  outside  Damascus.  Seeing  that  Paul 
was  blind  they  took  him  by  the  hand,  after  he  had  risen 
from  the  earth,  and  silently  led  him  into  the  city,  doubtless 
to  the  house  where  he  had  planned  to  find  lodging.  For 
three  days  Paul  sat  in  total  darkness  and  during  all  that 
time  he  neither  ate  nor  drank.  The  house  in  which  he 
lodged  belonged  to  a  certain  man  named  Judas.  He  was 
probably  one  of  the  synagogue  rulers  to  whom  Paul  had 
been  given  letters  of  introduction.  We  know  only  one 
thing  about  what  Paul  was  doing  during  these  three  days 
of  darkness.  We  know  that  he  was  praying.  We  may 
well  believe  that  he  was  praying  for  guidance  as  he 
sought  to  rearrange  his  thinking  of  his  life  plans  in  har¬ 
mony  with  the  new  light  which  had  broken  into  his  soul. 

A  Kindly  Christian  Friend.  Acts  9:10-18.  A  certain 
Christian  named  Ananias  lived  in  Damascus.  He  was  one 
of  the  people  whom  Paul  had  come  to  carry  away  to  Jeru¬ 
salem  for  trial  and  for  death  if  he  should  refuse  to  deny  his 
Lord.  To  this  Christian  came  a  message  from  God  telling 
him  to  seek  Paul  in  the  house  of  Judas  and  to  lay  his  hands 
upon  him  that  he  might  be  cured  of  his  blindness. 
Ananias  was  naturally  loath  to  go  near  the  famous  per¬ 
secutor  whom  he  knew  to  be  in  Damascus  for  the  purpose 
of  seizing  Christians  and  carrying  them  to  Jerusalem. 
Nevertheless,  at  the  command  of  the  Lord,  Ananias  went. 
Paul’s  sight  was  restored  and  he  took  food  and  was 
strengthened. 


Used  by  permission  W.  II.  Burbans 


THE  HOUSE  OF  ANANIAS  IN  DAMASCUS 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


55 


Ananias  is  a  good  illustration  of  what  the  Christian 
religion  can  do  for  one  who  enters  into  it  fully  and  de¬ 
voutly.  Faith  in  God  and  in  Jesus  as  God’s  Son  made 
him  courageous.  He  was  willing  to  come  into  the  pres¬ 
ence  of  one  who  had  long  been  noted  as  the  archenemy 
of  the  Christians.  He  was  willing  not  only  to  risk  his  life 
in  obedience  to  God’s  commands  but  also  to  forget  all 
the  past  record  of  Paul  the  persecutor,  to  take  him  by 
the  hand  and  address  him  as  “Brother  Paul.”  “Ye  have 
heard  that  it  was  said,  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor,  and 
hate  thine  enemy  :  but  I  say  unto  you,  Love  your  enemies, 
and  pray  for  them  that  persecute  you ;  that  ye  may  be 
sons  of  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven.”  Ananias  had 
learned  to  obey  these  commandments  of  his  Lord. 

First  Glimpses  of  a  Sublime  Life  Task.  Acts  26:16-18. 
It  has  often  happened  that  at  the  moment  of  their  con¬ 
version  people  have  heard  the  call  of  God  to  a  life  task 
concerning  which  they  have  never  dreamed  before.  It 
was  so  with  Paul.  To  become  God’s  messenger  to  the 
Gentile  nations  had  probably  never  before  entered  his 
thoughts.  As  an  orthodox  Pharisee  he  would  have  no 
love  for  the  Gentiles.  He  would  think  of  them  as  capable 
of  becoming  children  of  Jehovah  only  through  becoming 
Jewish  proselytes.  Yet  even  as  he  lay  there  blinded  on 
the  roadway  he  may  have  caught  glimpses  of  the  sublime 
task  which  was  to  be  his  life  work.  With  the  conviction 
that  Jesus  was  indeed  the  Messiah  came  a  vision  of  the 
possibility  of  bringing  the  Gentiles  into  the  family  of  God 
through  faith  in  Jesus.  The  grandeur  of  that  thought 
never  left  him.  It  carried  him  through  dangers  and  per¬ 
secutions  and  fiery  trials.  It  gave  him  perseverance  and 
power  and  self-forgetfulness.  It  made  a  great-souled 
man  of  him.  There  is  nothing  which  tends  to  develop 
soul  greatness  more  than  a  vision  of  a  sublime  task  and 
the  consciousness  that  God  has  said,  “I  have  chosen  you 
for  this  task.”  Jeremiah  saw  such  a  vision  and  heard 
such  a  call  and  it  made  of  him  the  heroic  prophet  of 
expiring  Judah.  Isaiah  saw  such  a  vision  and  heard  such 
a  call  and  under  the  inspiration  of  that  experience  he 
uttered  words  so  true  and  so  sublime  that  they  have  come 
down  to  us  across  all  the  centuries.  Paul  was  like  the 


56 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


other  people  who  have  become  truly  great  of  soul.  He 
saw  a  sublime  task  and  he  heard  the  voice  of  God  in 
Jesus  say.  “To  this  end  have  I  appeared  unto  thee.”  He 
was  “not  disobedient  unto  the  heavenly  vision.”  God 
does  not  deal  thus  with  only  a  few  people.  He  has  work 
for  all  to  do,  work  which  is  truly  sublime  and  which  will 
lift  the  souls  of  his  children  into  his  own  likeness  if  they 
are  only  willing  to  see,  to  hear,  and  to  do  what  God  has 
in  store  for  them. 

Facing  the  Trials  and  Dangers  of  a  Changed  Career. 

Acts  9:19-22.  Paul  must  have  known  that  in  becoming 
a  Christian  he  was  entering  upon  a  new  career  which 
would  be  marked  by  misunderstandings  and  losses  and 
deadly  perils.  He  knew  that  in  accepting  Christ  he  had 
bidden  good-by  to  all  whom  he  had  counted  as  his  friends. 
He  knew  what  attitude  his  father  would  take  toward  his 
becoming  a  follower  of  Jesus.  Perhaps  he  shuddered  to 
think  of  what  his  home-coming  was  likely  to  be.  He 
knew  that  this  step  meant  the  loss  of  power  and  pre¬ 
eminence  among  his  people.  He  had  been  ambitious  to 
become  a  great  leader  of  the  Jewish  Church.  He  had 
made  notable  progress  in  that  direction.  The  highest 
seats  of  authority  were  well  within  sight,  but  in  becom¬ 
ing  a  Christian  he  swung  these  doors  of  opportunity 
shut  forever.  He  knew  the  dangers  and  difficulties  of 
the  task  to  which  he  was  called  for  he  had  lived  among 
the  Gentiles  and  realized  how  difficult  it  is  to  lead  even 
one  individual  from  the  darkness  of  paganism  out  into,  the 
light  of  the  true  God. 

Knowing  all  this,  did  Paul  hesitate?  Was  he  a  person 
who  would  put  his  hands  to  the  plow  and  then  turn  back? 
Let  him  answer  these  questions  for  himself :  “Howbeit 
what  things  were  gain  to  me,  these  have  I  counted  loss 
for  Christ.  Yea  verily,  and  I  count  all  things  to  be  loss 
for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  my 
Lord :  for  whom  I  suffered  the  loss  of  all  things,  and  do 
count  them  but  refuse,  that  I  may  gain  Christ,  and  be 
found  in  him.”  Phil.  3:7-9. 

Amazed  Congregations  in  the  Synagogues  of  Damas¬ 
cus.  Paul  did  not  hesitate  in  letting  it  be  known  that  he 
had  become  a  Christian.  He  did  not  try  to  be  a  secret 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


57 


disciple  as  Nicodemus  and  Joseph  of  Arimathaea  had 
been  in  the  days  of  Jesus.  He  went  into  the  synagogues 
of  Damascus,  but  he  did  not  go  there  to  read  his  commis¬ 
sion  from  the  chief  priests  and  to  secure  aid  in  his  cam¬ 
paign  against  the  Christians.  He  went  there  to  proclaim 
that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God.  The  New  Testament  tells 
us  that  those  who  heard  him  “were  amazed,  and  said,  Is 
not  this  he  that  in  Jerusalem  made  havoc  of  them  that 
called  on  this  name?  and  he  had  come  hither  for  this 
intent,  that  he  might  bring  them  bound  before  the  chief 
priests.”  Some  of  the  Damascus  Jews  undertook  to 
argue  with  Paul.  They  denied  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of 
God  and  the  Messiah  for  whom  the  Hebrews  had  so  long 
waited.  In  this  debate  the  Damascus  Jews  were  worsted. 
Paul  knew  all  their  arguments  by  heart  and  he  likewise 
knew  how  poor  and  illogical  these  arguments  were.  Paul 
had  consented  to  the  death  of  Stephen,  but  now  he  was 
taking  Stephen’s  place  as  a  defender  of  the  Messiahship 
of  Jesus.  We  are  told  that  he  “increased  the  more  in 
strength,  and  confounded  the  Jews  that  dwelt  at  Damas¬ 
cus,  proving  that  this  is  the  Christ.” 

The  Lesson  Prayer 

Our  Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  thee  for  the  life  of 
Paul.  We  know  that  it  has  many  helpful  lessons  for  us. 
Help  us  to  understand  these  messages  which  thou 
wouldest  speak  to  us  through  the  life  of  thy  servant  who 
lived  so  many  centuries  ago.  Grant  that  we  may  all 
come  into  those  deep  religious  experiences  which  will 
fit  us  for  noble  and  helpful  living.  Help  us  to  find  the 
tasks  which  thou  hast  chosen  for  us.  Help  us  to  see  the 
possibilities  for  service  which  are  before  us.  Make  us 
unselfish  and  keep  us  pure  that  we  may  hear  thy  voice 
and  obey  thy  commandments  now  and  always.  We  ask 
in  Jesus’  name.  Amen. 

Supplemental  Missionary  Story 

“The  Men  of  the  Shingle  Beach.”  “The  Book  of  Mis¬ 
sionary  Heroes,”  page  30. 


58  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 

EXPRESSION AL  SESSION 

THE  PLACE  OF  RELIGIOUS  EXPERIENCE  IN  A  GREAT 

AND  USEFUL  LIFE 

John  17:1,  2;  Acts  2:1-4 

In  the  preceding  lessons  of  this  chapter  we  came  to 
events  in  the  career  of  Paul  which  were  primarily  respon¬ 
sible  for  making  his  life  great  and  useful.  His  education 
could  not  of  itself  make  him  great,  although  it  had  some¬ 
thing  to  do  with  his  development  into  greatness  of  char¬ 
acter.  People  become  great  of  soul,  and  there  is  no  true 
greatness  apart  from  soul  greatness,  by  coming  to  know 
God  as  he  is  revealed  in  the  teachings  and  in  the  char¬ 
acter  of  Jesus.  Paul  began  to  know  God  as  he  is  revealed 
in  Jesus  when  he  saw  that  great  light  shining  upon  the 
road  which  leads  from  Jerusalem  to  Damascus.  That 
was  the  beginning  of  a  continuous  religious  experience 
which  lifted  Paul  day  by  day  to  more  and  more  lofty 
attainments  in  the  acquisition  of  character.  That  day 
set  before  him  ideals  toward  which  he  was  striving  all 
the  rest  of  his  life.  From  that  day  he  began  to  say,  “One 
thing  I  do,  forgetting  the  things  which  are  behind,  and 
stretching  forward  to  the  things  which  are  before,  I 
press  on  toward  the  goal  unto  the  prize  of  the  high  calling 
of  God  in  Christ  Jesus.” 

This  is  a  subject  of  much  importance  to  Intermediate 
pupils.  Young  people  of  this  age  who  have  been  prop¬ 
erly  reared  are  looking  forward  to  a  great  and  useful 
career.  They  are  nearing  the  age  when  most  people 
make  a  life  decision  for  or  against  the  Christian  religion. 
The  goal  which  we  have  designated,  namely,  a  great  and 
useful  life,  is  intimately  related  to  the  decision  which  we 
have  mentioned,  namely,  a  decision  concerning  our  per¬ 
sonal  relationship  to  Christ.  We  have  been  accustomed 
to  think  of  the  decision  for  or  against  the  Christian  life 
as  having  momentous  results  for  the  life  which  we  are 
to  live  in  the  world  that  lies  beyond  our  present  existence. 
We  have  thought  of  that  decision  as  having  to  do  with 
eternal  happiness  or  eternal  regret,  and  it  is  a  good  thing 
for  us  to  keep  this  fact  in  view  for  we  are  the  heirs  of 
eternity;  but  it  is  well  to  remember  that  the  effects  of 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


59 


this  momentous  decision  begin  to  be  manifest  in  the 
present  life.  Jesus  said,  “This  is  life  eternal,  that  they 
should  know  thee  the  only  true  God,  and  him  whom  thou 
didst  send,  even  Jesus  Christ.”  We  can  begin  to  know 
God  and  Christ  here  and  now,  and  therefore  we  can 
begin  to  enter  eternal  life  here  and  now.  We  can  come 
to  know  God  and  Christ  better  and  better  the  longer  we 
live;  therefore,  we  can  enter  more  and  more  into  eternal 
life  day  by  day.  Such  an  entering  into  eternal  life 
through  God  and  Christ  is  what  gives  true  grandeur  of 
character  to  people  who  become  truly  great  and  widely 
useful. 

Some  Truths  from  the  Lessons  We  Have 

Been  Studying 

Most  of  the  truly  great  men  of  the  world  have  been 
deeply  religious.  This  is  true  of  Washington,  Lincoln, 
Columbus,  William  of  Orange,  Gustavus  Adolphus,  and 
a  multitude  of  other  men  who  have  been  great  as  states¬ 
men,  soldiers,  and  authors. 

Any  education  which  does  not  help  a  person  to  know 
God  and  honor  Jesus  Christ  is  sadly  defective  and  is  in 
danger  of  producing  more  harm  than  good. 

If  Paul  had  not  come  to  know  God  as  he  is  revealed  in 
Jesus,  he  would  have  continued  to  be  a  great  persecutor, 
but  he  never  would  have  become  a  great  preacher  of  the 
truth. 

Paul  first  caught  glimpses  of  his  sublime  life  work 
under  the  inspiration  of  religious  experience.  Every 
young  person  needs  the  help  of  religion  in  chosing  a  life 
task. 

Review  Questions 

1.  What  changes  did  Paul’s  conversion  make  in  his 
attitudes? 

2.  Do  you  think  that  Paul  was  beginning  to  suspect 
the  truth  of  the  Christian  religion  before  he  saw  the  light 
on  the  Damascus  road?  Give  reasons  for  your  answer. 

3.  Describe  Paul’s  conversion. 

4.  What  evidences  did  Paul  give  that  he  was  penitent? 


60  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 

5.  What  evidences  are  there  that  it  was  really  Jesus 
who  spoke  to  Paul  ? 

6.  Why  was  the  conversion  of  Paul  an  important 
event  in  the  history  of  the  Church? 

7.  Tell  what  you  can  of  Ananias. 

8.  What  great  task  did  Paul  come  to  see  as  his  life 
work  ? 

9.  What  effect  did  the  choosing  of  this  task  and  the 
earnest  effort  to  accomplish  it  have  over  the  character 
of  Paul? 

10.  What  difficulties  and  dangers  faced  Paul  after  his 
conversion  and  how  did  he  meet  them? 

Bible:  Verses 

II  Chron.  34:3;  Ps.  27:8;  63:1;  Prov.  1:23;  8:17;  Isa. 
1 :18 ;  Jer!  31 : 18 ;  John  6 :44 ;  17:3;  Acts  2  :38. 

Study  Topics 

1.  Religious  Experiences  of  Jacob  at  Bethel.  Gen. 
28:10-22. 

2.  A  Boy  King  Seeking  the  God  of  His  Fathers. 
II  Chron.  34:1-7. 

3.  A  Little  Lad  Hearing  the  Voice  of  God.  I  Sam. 
3  :1-!4. 

4.  Jesus  in  the  Temple  at  the  Age  of  Twelve.  Luke 
2:41-51. 

5.  Incidents  in  the  Life  of  Lincoln  Which  Show  That 
Pie  Was  Deeply  Religious.  (Look  up  incidents  in  any 
good  biography  of  Lincoln.) 

6.  The  Call  of  Isaiah  to  His  Life  Work.  Isa.  6:1-8. 

7.  The  Call  of  Jeremiah  to  His  Life  Work.  Jer. 

1 :4-10. 

8.  The  Call  of  Amos  to  His  Life  Work.  Amos 
7  :!4,  15. 

9.  How  Religious  Experience  Changed  Peter  from 
Cowardice  to  Courage.  Mark  14:66-72;  Acts  3:11-26. 

10.  How  Religious  Experience  Transformed  the  Char¬ 
acter  of  the  Apostle  John.  Matt.  20:20-28;  I  John  2:15-17. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


61 


The  Lesson  Truth  Expressed  in  a  Law 

The  Law  of  the  Religious  Life,  The  highest  character 
cannot  be  attained,  neither  can  the  greatest  life  work  be 
accomplished,  without  religion.  Therefore  : 

1.  We  will  seek  to  know  God  as  he  is  revealed  in 
Jesus  his  Son,  thus  cultivating  our  religious  faculties 
from  our  youth. 

2.  We  will  refrain  from  all  conduct  which  would  dis¬ 
honor  God,  since  he  can  have  no  fellowship  with  works 
of  darkness. 

3.  We  will  seek  religious  development  through  the 
study  of  God’s  Word,  through  the  worship  of  God,  and 
through  the  opportunities  for  service  which  God  opens 
before  us. 

Projects  eor  Putting  the  Lesson  Truths 

Into  Practice 

Have  the  class  make  a  canvass  of  the  church  school  to 
determine  how  many  pupils  of  twelve  years  and  over  are 
not  professed  followers  of  Jesus.  Have  the  class  plan 
for  a  Decision  Day  in  the  church  schooh  Give  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  all  members  of  the  school  in  the  Intermediate 
Department  and  beyond  to  subscribe  to  the  Law  of  the 
Religious  Life  as  given  in  a  preceding  paragraph. 


CHAPTER  V 


THE  SOJOURN  IN  ARABIA  AND  EARLY  DAYS 

OF  HIS  MINISTRY 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

ALONE  IN  THE  DESERTS 
Gal.  1:11-17 

It  is  a  significant  fact  that  many  of  the  men  who  have 
become  great  spiritual  leaders  have  spent  a  part  of  their 
lives  in  wilderness  solitudes.  Elijah  was  a  man  of  the 
out  of  doors.  Born  somewhere  in  the  highlands  of 
Galilee  he  lived  for  some  years  in  the  mountains  of  Gilead, 
In  times  of  danger  or  perplexity  he  sought  refuge  in 
lonely  places  like  the  gorge  of  the  brook  Cherith  or  the 
awful  solitudes  of  mount  Horeb.  Amos  was  a  herdsman 
on  the  borders  of  the  Judean  wilderness  about  Tekoa. 
Moses  was  a  herder  of  sheep  for  forty  years  at  the  back 
of  the  desert  that  lies  at  the  foot  of  mount  Horeb.  John 
the  Baptist  spent  his  early  years  in  the  desplate  and 
lonely  Wilderness  of  Judea.  Jesus  evidently  loved  the 
solitary  places.  He  was  often  alone  by  the  sea  or  in  the 
mountains.  Sometimes  he  was  out  alone  all  night.  These 
habits  of  his  manhood  may  have  been  with  him  from 
boyhood.  Before  beginning  his  ministry  he  retired  to  the 
wilderness  for  forty  days  where  he  was  “with  the  wild 
beasts.” 

City  life  with  its  constant  contacts  with  people  has 
certain  advantages  as  well  as  certain  disadvantages.  It 
teaches  a  person  how  to  get  along  with  people  and  how 
to  work  with  people,  but  it  tends  to  lessen  independence 
in  thought  and  conduct.  City  life  does  not  always  make 
people  superficial  and  artificial  in  their  lives  and  in  their 
thinking,  but  it  has  a  tendency  to  do  so.  On  the  other 
hand  country  life  develops  individuality.  People  who  are 
much  alone  have  an  opportunity  to  develop  the  habit  of 
clear  and  forceful  thinking  because  their  thoughts  can 

62 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


63 


ilow  on  without  interruption.  Practical  phases  of  the 
religious  life  and  the  emotions  of  fellowship  and  sym¬ 
pathy  out  of  which  they  spring  are  best  developed  when 
the  individual  is  in  frequent  contact  with  his  fellow  men ; 
but  there  are  certain  deep  religious  experiences  growing 
out  of  the  relations  of  the  individual  to  God,  which  are 
best  developed  in  solitude.  It  is  not  surprising,  therefore, 
that  many  of  the  greatest  spiritual  leaders  of  the  race 
have  had  both  types  of  living.  They  have  been  much  in 
the  midst  of  the  multitudes,  but  they  have  also  spent  pro¬ 
longed  seasons  of  solitude  in  which  they  learned  to  have 
fellowship  with  God  in  nature  and  within  their  own 
thoughts. 

Paul  Seeks  the  Solitude  of  the  Deserts.  Paul  was  born 
in  a  large  city.  He  attended  school  in  a  large  city  when 
he  was  a  boy  and  later  he  pursued  his  studies  as  a  young 
man  in  another  large  city.  He  was  distinctly  city-bred 
and  his  city-mindedness  is  manifest  in  his  words  and 
actions  until  the  end  of  his  life.  After  his  conversion 
Paul  seems  to  have  felt  the  need  of  an  opportunity  to 
think  and  pray  concerning  the  great  truths  which  had 
burst  upon  him  so  suddenly.  After  a  brief  period  of 
preaching  in  the  synagogues  of  Damascus  in  which  Paul 
amazed  the  Jewish  congregations  but  where  he  did  not 
continue  long  enough  to  arouse  violent  opposition,  Paul 
left  Damascus  to  seek  out  some  lonely  spot  where  he 
could  have  a  chance  to  think  and  pray  and  plan  for  the 
accomplishment  of  the  task  which  he  now  realized  was 
God’s  work  for  him. 

Where  Paul  Went.  Paul  simply  says  that  he  went 
into  Arabia.  The  name  Arabia  at  that  time  was  given  to 
practically  all  of  that  vast  peninsula,  fifteen  hundred 
miles  long  and  eight  hundred  miles  wide,  which  lies 
between  the  Red  Sea  and  the  Persian  Gulf  and  which 
extends  northward  to  beyond  the  city  of  Damascus.  Paul 
may  have  gone  into  the  deserts  lying  to  the  eastward  of 
Damascus,  or  he  may  have  found  a  suitable  dwelling- 
place  in  some  of  the  vast  ravines  which  traverse  the  table¬ 
lands  south  of  the  Dead  Sea. 

Many  New  Testament  scholars  believe  he  journeyed  to 
the  peninsula  of  Sinai  where  the  law  had  been  given  to 


64 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Moses  and  there  on  sacred  ground  thought  over  the  com¬ 
mandments  of  God  and  their  fulfillment  in  Jesus.  Elijah 
had  fled  to  this  region  when  he  was  in  distress  and  fear 
and  it  may  be  that  Paul  had  followed  the  example  set 
by  the  great  prophet  who  had  lived  so  long  before. 

What  Did  Paul  Do  in  Arabia?  Paul  gives  a  hint  as 
to  his  purpose  in  withdrawing  into  the  deserts.  He  says 
that  after  his  conversion  he  did  not  confer  with  “flesh 
and  blood,”  neither  did  he  go  up  to  Jerusalem  to  confer 
with  those  who  were  apostles  before  him.  If  he  had  gone 
to  Jerusalem  he  would  have  put  himself  under  the  teach¬ 
ing  of  the  apostles  in  order  that  he  might  learn  from  them 
concerning  the  gospel  which  Jesus  taught  and  concern¬ 
ing  the  Messiahship  of  Jesus.  Perhaps  Paul  contem¬ 
plated  doing  this  very  thing.  The  fact  that  he  says  that 
he  did  not  do  it  shows  us  that  such  a  course  of  action 
was  probably  present  in  his  mind.  Paul  evidently  de¬ 
cided  that  the  better  course  for  him  to  pursue  would  be 
to  seek  out  some  retired  spot  where  he  could  think  out 
these  matters  for  himself  under  the  guidance  of  the  Spirit 
of  God.  He  was  widely  familiar  with  the  Old  Testament 
Scriptures.  He  was  doubtless  by  this  time  quite  familiar 
with  what  Jesus  had  said  and  done,  for  he  had  been 
questioning  the  followers  of  Jesus  for  some  time  in  the 
courts  where  these  Christians  were  being  tried.  He  knew 
what  the  Christians  believed  about  Jesus.  The  thing  he 
needed  to  do  was  to  adjust  these  conceptions  concerning 
Jesus  to  the  Old  Testament  law  and  to  the  prophecies 
concerning  the  Messiah.  He  now  believed  in  Jesus  as  the 
Messiah  with  all  his  heart.  His  task,  then,  was  to  re¬ 
examine  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures  and  find  out 
whether  they  could  be  so  interpreted  as  to  show  that 
Jesus  was  the  Messiah  the  Old  Testament  prophets  had 
in  view,  and  the  kind  of  Messiah  who  could  fulfill  the 
law  of  Moses. 

So  we  may  believe  that  Paul  retired  into  Arabia  to 
study.  He  would,  of  course,  have  the  Old  Testament 
with  him  for  he  was  a  lover  of  books  and  we  know  that 
the  Bible  would  be  among  the  books  and  parchments 
which  he  seems  to  have  carried  about  with  him  all  his 
life.  Paul  was  probably  studying,  meditating,  readjust: 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


65 


ing  his  thinking,  reinterpreting  the  Old  Testament  writ¬ 
ings  under  the  new  light  which  had  come  to  him  in  Jesus. 
He  was  probably  wise  in  his  decision  that  he  could  do 
this  better  where  he  could  be  alone  with  God  than  he 
could  under  the  instruction  of  other  persons. 

Paul  had  probably  withdrawn  into  the  deserts  to  pray. 
From  the  time  of  his  conversion  he  was  a  man  of  prayer. 
He  frequently  urged  his  converts  to  pray  without  ceasing 
and  we  know  that  he  practiced  what  he  preached.  Prayer 
is  one  of  the  sources  of  a  great  and  useful  life.  It  is  not 
always  mentioned  in  the  biographies  of  people  who  were 
great  and  good,  but  it  is  usually  one  of  the  most  impor¬ 
tant  causes  of  noble  character. 

Paul  probably  retired  into  the  solitudes  that  he  might 
think  over  the  great  life  task  which  God  had  assigned  to 
him  and  lay  plans  for  undertaking  the  work  which  he  had 
been  given  to  do.  Those  who  have  accomplished  life 
tasks  of  great  magnitude  and  of  great  importance  have 
usually  understood  for  a  long  time  something  of  what 
their  life  work  was  to  be  and  have  thus  had  opportunity 
to  lay  their  plans  with  care. 

How  Long  Did  Paul  Stay  in  Arabia?  We  do  not  know 
exactly  how  long  Paul  stayed  in  Arabia,  but  we  can 
estimate  the  length  of  the  time  approximately.  Paul  tells 
us  that  he  returned  to  Jerusalem  three  years  after  his  con¬ 
version.  This  three-year  period  would  be  made  up  of  two 
brief  residences  in  Damascus  and  the  sojourn  in  Arabia. 
After  his  conversion  he  remained  in  Damascus  for  what 
was  evidently  only  a  little  while.  Luke  speaks  of  this 
period  as  “certain  days”  which  Paul  spent  with  the  dis¬ 
ciples  in  Damascus.  Acts  9:19.  Then  Paul  left  Damas¬ 
cus  to  go  into  Arabia.  After  his  return  from  Arabia  he 
again  dwelt  for  a  time  in  Damascus  preaching  in  the 
synagogues  and  arguing  with  the  Jewish  leaders.  Paul 
was  never  allowed  to  preach  very  long  in  the  synagogues 
so  this  second  residence  in  Damascus  was  probably  for 
only  a  few  months,  though  it  was  evidently  longer  than 
the  first  residence  there.  New  Testament  scholars  there¬ 
fore  believe  that  Paul  spent  the  greater  part  of  three 
years  in  Arabia. 

Paul  Was  No  Selfish  Ascetic.  During  the  Middle 


66 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Ages  there  were  many  people  who  withdrew  into  the 
deserts  and  into  lonely  places  among  the  mountains  and 
spent  all  their  lives  in  such  places,  seldom  seeing  anyone 
save  a  few  of  their  own  kind.  These  people  were  called 
ascetics.  They  went  into  these  lonely  places  to  pray  and 
read  the  Bible.  This  was  all  right  but  the  motives  which 
they  had  in  view  were  often  wrong.  While  these  people 
had  given  up  the  pleasures  of  society,  they  were  really 
selfish  in  their  motives.  They  were  seeking  righteousness 
for  themselves  rather  than  seeking  to  become  fitted  to 
serve  their  fellow  men.  Paul  was  no  ascetic;  he  was 
preparing  himself  for  service.  The  motives  which  led 
him  into  the  deserts  later  led  him  into  the  busy  market 
places  of  great  cities  like  Athens  and  Ephesus.  His 
motives  were  unselfish. 

Suggestions  for  Notebook  Work 

Locate  on  the  maps  some  of  the  regions  of  Arabia 
where  Paul  may  have  spent  the  time  of  his  retirement. 
Prepare  outlines  for  a  debate  on  the  question  :  “Resolved, 
That  the  Advantages  of  Country  Life  Are  Greater  Than 
the  Advantages  of  City  Life.”  Picture :  Paul  Let  Down 
in  a  Basket,  No.  768.  _ 

SUNDAY  SESSION 

PREACHING  CHRIST  IN  DAMASCUS  AND  IN 

JERUSALEM 

Acts  9:23-30;  Gal.  1:18-24 

From  his  sojourn  in  Arabia  Paul  returned  to  Damascus. 
He  was  now  ready  to  undertake  that  great  life  work 
which  had  been  revealed  to  him.  He  had  thought  his 
problems  through.  He  had  laid  his  plans.  He  had  come 
into  that  fellowship  with  God  which  is  necessary  for  any 
really  great  undertaking.  He  had  readjusted  his  think¬ 
ing  so  that  he  now  understood  how  completely  Jesus 
fulfilled  all  that  the  Law  and  the  Prophets  had  spoken 
concerning  the  Messiah.  He  came  back  to  the  city  where 
his  career  as  a  persecutor  had  ended  that  he  might  there 
begin  his  career  as  a  preacher. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


67 


Trying  to  Undo  the  Evil  He  Had  Done.  We  may 

wonder  why  Paul  came  back  and  preached  among  his 
own  people  in  the  synagogues  of  Damascus  and  later  did 
the  same  thing  in  Jerusalem.  If  God  had  called  him  to 
preach  to  the  Gentiles,  why  did  he  not  go  at  once  to  some 
city  or  country  where  there  were  no  Jews  to  oppose  him 
and  there  confine  his  work  to  an  effort  to  reach  the 
Gentiles  only?  Those  who  have  studied  the  life  of  Paul 
with  care  believe  that  he  came  back  to  his  own  people  in 
order  that  he  might  undo  so  far  as  he  could  the  evil 
which  he  had  done.  He  had  persecuted  the  Christians 
and  had  taught  his  fellow  countrymen  to  believe  that 
Jesus  was  an  impostor.  He  felt  that  he  must  first  of  all 
bear  witness  to  Jesus  in  the  cities  where  he  had  perse¬ 
cuted  the  Christians  and  tried  to  compel  them  to  blas¬ 
pheme  the  name  of  Jesus.  So  he  began  his  work  after 
returning  from  Arabia  by  going  into  the  Jewish  syna¬ 
gogues  of  Damascus  and  there  proclaiming  that  Jesus  is 
the  Messiah  and  the  Son  of  God.  He  doubtless  knew 
that  he  was  risking  his  life  by  preaching  among  the  Jews, 
but  he  had  determined  to  follow  a  straight  course,  trust¬ 
ing  in  God  to  protect  him  and  to  keep  him  safe  until 
his  life  task  was  accomplished. 

A  Conspiracy  of  the  Damascus  Jews.  Acts  9 :23,  24. 
It  took  some  time  for  the  opposition  to  Paul’s  preaching 
to  take  form  in  the  synagogues  of  Damascus.  Luke  says 
that  “many  days  were  fulfilled”  before  there  was  a  for¬ 
midable  opposition  developed  against  him.  During  this 
period  Paul  won  some  people  to  Christ ;  possibly  he  won 
many.  It  may  be  that  it  was  the  fact  that  Paul  was 
winning  followers  for  Jesus  that  spurred  the  leaders  of 
the  Damascus  synagogues  to  conspire  against  Paul.  At 
all  events  a  conspiracy  was  formed  among  the  Jews. 
They  plotted  to  assassinate  Paul.  They  secured  the  as¬ 
sistance  of  the  governor  of  the  city  and  stationed  armed 
bands  at  all  the  city  gates  in  order  that  Paul  might  be 
killed  if  he  tried  to  escape  from  the  city.  Day  and  night 
these  assassins  at  the  city  gates  watched  for  their  in¬ 
tended  victim.  In  some  way  Paul  learned  of  these  plots. 
He  now  had  about  him  a  little  band  of  disciples  and 
these  Christian  brethren  devised  a  way  to  save  their 


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PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


leader  from  the  plots  of  the  Jews.  Some  of  the  houses 
of  Damascus  were  built  close  against  the  city  wall.  One 
of  these  houses  was  occupied  by  a  family  who  were  Chris¬ 
tians.  Paul  was  brought  secretly  into  this  house,  and, 
under  the  cover  of  darkness,  his  disciples  let  him  down 
from  a  window  overlooking  the  city  wall.  Having  thus 
gained  the  open  country  which  lay  beyond  the  walls,  Paul 
departed  for  Jerusalem. 

Facing  Dangers  Unflinchingly.  If  Paul  had  been 
thinking  chiefly  of  his  own  safety,  he  would  not  have 
gone  to  Jerusalem.  It  was  ten  times  more  perilous  for 
him  there  than  it  was  in  Damascus.  He  knew  that  the 
priests  and  the  Pharisees  would  look  upon  him  as  a 
traitor  to  his  nation  and  an  apostate  from  the  faith  of  his 
fathers.  He  knew  that  they  would  be  far  more  anxious 
to  destroy  him  than  they  had  been  to  destroy  the  many 
Christians  whom  he  had  seen  condemned  before  the  san¬ 
hedrin  and  led  away  to  execution.  But  Paul  did  not 
waver.  He  had  persecuted  Christ’s  followers  in  Jeru¬ 
salem  and  he  would  preach  where  he  had  persecuted. 
He  would  undo  the  evil  that  he  had  done  in  so  far  as  he 
was  able.  Duty  said,  “Go,”  and  so  Paul  went. 

A  Friend  in  Need.  Acts  9  :26,  27.  Paul  had  been  away 
from  Jerusalem  three  years  but  he  was  still  remembered 
there.  Christians  still  shuddered  at  the  mention  of  his 
name.  It  is  not  strange  that  the  report  of  his  conversion 
had  not  become  generally  known  in  Jerusalem.  He  had 
remained  only  a  few  days  in  Damascus  after  his  conver¬ 
sion  and  before  going  away  into  Arabia.  Moreover,  even 
though  the  Christians  of  Jerusalem  may  have  heard 
rumors  of  his  conversion,  we  need  not  be  surprised  at 
their  hesitancy  in  believing  his  confession  of  Christ  to  be 
genuine.  They  had  every  reason  to  fear  him.  They  had 
every  reason  to  hesitate  before  putting  themselves  and 
their  families  at  his  mercy. 

So  Paul  found  no  welcome  among  the  Christians  at 
Jerusalem  when  he  appeared  and  “assayed  to  join  himself 
to  the  disciples.”  The  Christians  were  afraid  of  him  and 
could  not  believe  that  he  was  really  a  disciple  of  Jesus. 
It  was  a  good  thing  for  Paul  that  there  was  a  man  of 
kindly  spirit  among  the  Jerusalem  Christians,  who  felt 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


69 


that  Paul’s  profession  of  discipleship  might  be  genuine. 
This  man’s  name  was  Barnabas.  He  was  the  first  to  meet 
Paul  and  talk  matters  over  in  a  friendly  way.  Persuaded 
of  the  genuineness  of  Paul’s  conversion,  Barnabas  took 
Paul  and  brought  him  to  the  apostles.  There  he  told 
of  the  striking  events  on  the  Damascus  road  which  had 
accomplished  Paul’s  conversion.  He  told  how  Paul  had 
preached  boldly  in  Damascus  proclaiming  the  Messiah- 
ship  of  Jesus.  Thus  introduced  by  Barnabas,  Paul  was 
welcomed  into  the  little  band  of  people  who  were  the 
followers  of  Jesus  in  Jerusalem,  and  there  was  great 
rejoicing  at  the  power  of  God  which  was  able  to  turn 
their  deadliest  enemy  into  a  trusted  friend. 

A  Conspiracy  of  the  Jews  in  Jerusalem.  Acts  9 :28-30. 
For  fifteen  days  Paul  was  with  the  Christians  in  Jeru¬ 
salem.  He  went  about  boldly  preaching  that  Jesus  is  the 
Messiah  and  the  Son  of  God.  His  work  was  especially 
with  the  Jews  of  the  Dispersion  who  had  been  the  leaders 
in  the  attack  upon  Stephen  and  who  were  still  violently 
opposed  to  the  Christians.  A  plot  to  kill  Paul  was 
quickly  formed  among  the  Jews  of  the  Dispersion.  His 
life  was  in  deadly  peril  for  there  was  every  reason  to 
believe  that  the  enemies  of  the  Church  could  secure  his 
death  even  more  easily  than  they  had  succeeded  in  put¬ 
ting  Stephen  to  death.  Paul’s  new-found  brethren  urged 
him  to  depart  to  a  place  of  safety.  Paul  was  loath  to  go. 
He  had  been  in  Jerusalem  only  two  weeks  and  did  not 
feel  that  he  had  yet  done  all  that  he  ought  to  do  to  make 
amends  for  his  evil  course  as  a  persecutor.  He  grimly 
determined  to  stay  and  face  the  dangers,  trusting  in  God 
to  protect  him  if  that  seemed  best  to  the  divine  wisdom, 
willing  to  lay  down  his  life  then  and  there  if  such  should 
prove  to  be  the  will  of  God. 

A  Vision  in  the  Temple.  Acts  22 :17-21.  Going  boldly 
into  the  Temple,  Paul  lifted  his  heart  to  God  in  prayer, 
seeking  strength  and  guidance.  As  he  prayed  he  fell  into 
a  kind  of  trance.  He  seemed  to  see  Jesus  once  more, 
standing  beside  him  and  speaking  to  him  as  he  had 
spoken  to  him  on  the  road  to  Damascus.  “Make  haste, 
and  get  thee  quickly  out  of  Jerusalem ;  because  they  will 
not  receive  of  thee  testimonv  concerning  me” — such  was 


I 


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PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


the  commandment  which  Paul  heard  as  he  beheld  the 
vision.  Paul  was  commanded  to  leave  Jerusalem  not 
for  personal  safety,  but  because  he  was  not  the  person 
to  bear  witness  best  there.  The  Jews  of  Jerusalem  were 
mad  against  him  with  a  frenzied  prejudice  because  he 
had  been  such  a  prominent  leader  in  the  persecutions 
and  had  now  gone  over  to  the  Christians.  There  were 
others  who  could  bear  more  effective  testimony  in  Jeru¬ 
salem  than  Paul  could. 

That  which  was  given  as  a  reason  for  Paul’s  not  stay¬ 
ing  in  Jerusalem  seemed  to  him  to  be  a  strong  cause  for 
his  remaining  there.  He  pleaded  that  he  might  be  per¬ 
mitted  to  remain.  He  said,  “Lord,  they  themselves  know 
that  I  imprisoned  and  beat  in  every  synagogue  them 
that  believed  on  thee :  and  when  the  blood  of  Stephen 
thy  witness  was  shed,  I  also  was  standing  by,  and  con¬ 
senting,  and  keeping  the  garments  of  them  that  slew 
him.”  Paul  seems  to  have  felt  that  he  could  best  wipe 
out  the  evil  he  had  wrought  by  giving  his  life  on  the  spot 
where  Stephen  had  been  stoned  to  death.  Jesus  had 
different  plans,  however.  It  was  no  time  for  argument, 
so  there  came  the  firm  command :  “Depart :  for  I  will  send 
thee  forth  far  hence  unto  the  Gentiles.” 

Sent  Away  to  Tarsus.  Acts  9:30.  Thus  persuaded 
that  it  was  the  will  of  Jesus  that  he  should  leave  Jeru¬ 
salem,  Paul  consented  to  the  advice  of  his  fellow  Chris¬ 
tians.  They  at  once  set  about  the  task  of  getting  him 
safely  out  of  Jerusalem.  Some  of  the  Christians  went 
with  Paul  as  far  as  Caesarea,  on  the  Mediterranean  Sea 
west  of  Jerusalem.  From  that  city  Paul  started  for 
Tarsus,  the  home  of  his  boyhood.  He  probably  went  by 
sea  as  that  was  the  quickest  route,  and  the  one  usually 
followed  by  travelers  of  that  time. 

The:  Lesson  Prayer 

Give  us,  our  Father  in  heaven,  a  deep  interest  in  the 
work  of  missions.  The  task  which  thy  servants  of  the 
first  century  began  with  enthusiasm  and  devotion  is  not 
yet  completed.  Forgive  us  of  this  age  who  have  failed 
to  labor  at  this  task  with  the  unselfish  devotion  which 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


71 


was  manifested  by  thy  servants  of  old.  If  we  cannot  go 
ourselves  into  other  lands  to  bear  witness  for  Jesus,  we 
know  that  we  can  bear  witness  at  home  and  we  can  help 
to  send  those  who  are  able  to  go.  Give  us,  then,  willing 
hearts  and  consecrated  lives  that  we  may  do  our  part  in 
the  great  task  which  thou  hast  given  unto  those  who 
believe  on  thy  Son.  We  ask  in  his  name.  Amen. 

Supplemental  Missionary  Story 

“The  Knight  of  a  New  Crusade.”  “The  Book  of  Mis¬ 
sionary  Heroes,”  page  36. 


EXPRESSION AL  SESSION 

THE  PLACE  OF  WHOLE-SOULED  DEVOTION  IN  A 

GREAT  AND  USEFUL  LIFE 

I  Tim.  4:15,  16 

In  the  verses  chosen  for  consideration  in  this  meeting. 
Paul  is  urging  his  young  friend,  Timothy,  to  throw  him¬ 
self  into  his  work  with  whole-souled  devotion.  In  giving 
this  advice  Paul  was  asking  his  young  helper  to  do  no 
more  than  he  himself  had  been  long  accustomed  to  do. 
Paul  threw  himself  with  all  his  might  into  anything  he 
undertook.  He  did  this  as  a  persecutor  and  he  did  it  as 
a  preacher  of  the  gospel.  He  worked  in  this  way  all  his 
life.  He  was  constantly  preaching,  teaching,  traveling, 
holding  conversation  with  individuals,  writing  letters  to 
distant  churches,  organizing  congregations.  He  threw 
his  whole  soul  into  the  work  he  had  undertaken.  He 
knew  that  such  whole-souled  devotion  coupled  with 
habits  of  prayer  secured  results.  He  wished  his  young 
friend  to  be  a  useful  missionary  and  preacher,  so  he  urged 
him  to  follow  the  methods  which  he  had  found  to  be 
effective.  By  entering  upon  his  work  with  enthusiastic 
devotion,  Timothy  would  save  others  from  the  errors 
and  transgressions  which  were  marring  their  lives ;  Paul 
knew  this  to  be  true,  so  he  urged  Timothy  to  give  himself 
wholly  to  his  task. 


72  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 

Paul  knew  something  else.  He  knew  that  no  person 
can  throw  himself  wholly  into  a  great  task  without  hav¬ 
ing  his  labors  return  in  blessing  upon  his  own  soul.  The 
accomplishment  of  a  great  life  task  by  giving  to  it  a 
whole-souled  devotion  results  in  greatness  of  soul  for  the 
one  who  lays  hold  upon  the  task  and  accomplishes  it. 
So  Paul  could  say  truthfully :  “Be  diligent  in  these 
things;  give  thyself  wholly  to  them;  .  .  .  for  in  doing 
this  thou  slialt  save  both  thyself  and  them  that  hear 
thee.” 


Some  Truths  from  the  Lessons  We  Have 

Been  Studying 

We  need  God’s  help  in  determining  what  our  life  work 
is  to  be,  and  when  he  reveals  it  to  us  we  owe  it  to  him 
to  do  with  our  might  what  he  gives  us  to  do. 

The  men  and  women  who  have  accomplished  great 
things  in  life  have  developed  early  in  youth  the  power  to 
concentrate  their  attention  upon  a  single  task. 

Men  and  women  who  accomplish  great  things  are  usu¬ 
ally  enthusiastic  in  their  work. 

The  fact  that  Paul  was  willing  to  go  away  into  the 
deserts  for  three  years,  in  order  that  he  might  meditate 
on  his  life  work  and  pray  for  guidance,  shows  that  he 
took  his  great  task  seriously. 

Paul  was  so  devoted  to  his  task  that  neither  the  threats 
of  his  enemies  nor  the  misunderstandings  of  his  friends 
could  turn  him  from  it. 

Review  Ouestions 

1.  Name  some  great  spiritual  leaders  who  have  spent 
part  of  their  lives  in  solitude. 

2.  What  did  Paul  probably  do  when  he  was  in  Arabia? 

3.  How  long  did  Paul  stay  in  Arabia? 

4.  Why  did  not  Paul  go  at  once  to  the  Gentiles  after 
he  returned  from  Arabia? 

5.  Tell  of  Paul’s  escape  from  Damascus. 

6.  Why  was  it  especially  dangerous  for  Paul  to  go 
to  Jerusalem? 

7.  Tell  how  Barnabas  befriended  Paul. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  73 

8.  Why  did  Paul  leave  Jerusalem  and  go  to  Tarsus? 

9.  Tell  of  Paul's  vision  in  the  Temple. 

10.  Would  it  be  hard  for  Paul  to  go  back  to  Tarsus? 
Why? 

Bibee  Verses 

Deut.  11:13,  14;  Josh.  22:5;  I  Sam.  12:20;  I  Kings 
14:7,8;  I  Chron.  12:33;  II  Chron.  15:12;  Matt.  22:37,  38; 
16:24,  25;  Rev.  3:15,  16. 

Study  Topics 

1.  God’s  Message  to  a  Lukewarm  Church.  Rev. 
3:14,  15. 

2.  A  Day  in  the  Life  of  Jesus.  Mark  1  :21-35. 

3.  Gideon’s  Little  Army  of  Whole-Hearted  Follow¬ 
ers.  Judg.,  ch.  7. 

4.  How  Jesus  Refused  Half-Hearted  Followers. 
Luke  9  -57-62 

5.  Why  It  Is  a  Good  Thing  for  Our  Tasks  If  We  Do 
Them  with  Our  Might. 

6.  Why  It  Is  a  Good  Thing  for  Us  If  We  Do  Our 
Tasks  with  All  Our  Might. 

7.  What  Jesus  Meant  When  He  Said  That  If  Anyone 
Did  Not  Forsake  All  that  He  Had,  He  Could  Not  Become 
a  Disciple. 

8.  Ways  in  Which  Paul  Showed  Whole-Souled  De¬ 
votion  to  His  Task. 

9.  Ways  in  Which  We  Can  Show  Whole-Souled  De¬ 
votion  to  the  Church. 

10.  Great  Inventors  Who  Have  Won  Through  Whole- 
Souled  Devotion  to  Their  Work. 

The  Lesson  Truth  Expressed  in  a  Law 

The  Law  of  Whole-Souled  Devotion.  Nothing  of 
much  consequence  is  ever  accomplished  by  a  person  who 
does  his  task  in  a  half-hearted  way.  Therefore  : 

1.  We  will  endeavor  to  give  diligent  and  enthusiastic 
attention  to  our  daily  tasks. 

2.  We  will  give  careful  thought  to  the  selection  of  a 
life  work,  seeking  the  advice  of  friends  and  the  guidance 


74 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


of  God  in  making-  this  important  decision,  and  when  our 
life  tasks  are  determined,  we  will  give  ourselves  wholly 
to  them. 

3.  Whatever  our  life  tasks  may  be,  we  will  endeavor 
to  make  them  a  service  to  our  fellow  men  and  an  honor 
to  God. 

Projects  tor  Putting  the  Lesson  Truths 

Into  Practice 

Have  each  pupil  select  the  study  in  school  which  is 
hardest  for  him,  and  for  a  stated  period  devote  himself 
whole-heartedly  to  its  mastery.  Compare  experiences  in 
the  class.  Find  out  how  many  have  done  better  work 
in  the  study  they  have  selected.  Find  out  whether  any 
have  gained  something  of  a  liking  for  the  study  which 
was  disliked.  The  same  method  may  be  used  with  regard 
to  disagreeable  chores  which  the  pupils  do  at  home. 
Choose  a  task  of  some  difficulty  which  the  class  is  to 
undertake  for  the  church,  or  the  church  school,  and  which 
will  last  for  some  weeks.  The  organization  of  a  church- 
school  orchestra,  and  the  acquiring  of  skill  sufficient  to 
enable  this  orchestra  to  render  valuable  service,  is  an 
illustration  of  the  kind  of  service  that  is  meant.  Help 
the  class  to  develop  enthusiastic,  whole-souled,  and  per¬ 
severing  devotion  to  the  undertaking  they  select. 


CHAPTER  VI 

A  SECOND  PERIOD  OF  OBSCURITY 
WEEK  DAY  SESSION 
BIDDING  GOOD-BY  TO  JERUSALEM 
Gal.  1:18-24;  2:1 

We  have  seen  how  Paul  entered  a  period  of  obscurity 
when  he  left  Jerusalem  after  completing  his  studies  there. 
He  entered  a  second  period  of  obscurity  when  he  again 
left  Jerusalem  for  Tarsus  some  three  years  after  his  con¬ 
version.  For  ten  years  we  lose  sight  of  him  to  a  certain 
extent.  We  know  that  during  these  ten  years  he  was 
laboring  in  Tarsus  and  in  various  sections  of  Cilicia  and 
Syria.  We  know  little  of  the  details  of  his  work  during 
this  period. 

When  Paul  left  Jerusalem  with  some  Christian  breth¬ 
ren  who  were  to  accompany  him  as  far  as  Caesarea,  he 
may  have  thought  that  he  was  bidding  good-by  to  Jeru¬ 
salem  forever.  He  had  been  told  to  depart  and  had  been 
divinely  bidden  to  go  afar  to  the  Gentiles.  He  was  in 
fact  absent  from  Jerusalem  for  more  than  ten  years.  The 
first  years  of  this  period  were  spent  in  missionary  work 
in  Cilicia  and  Syria  with  Tarsus  as  his  headquarters. 
His  work  was  probably  chiefly  among  the  Gentiles, 
though  he  may  have  followed  his  usual  custom  of  preach¬ 
ing  first  in  the  synagogues  and  to  the  Jews,  whenever  he 
had  an  opportunity  to  do  so  on  entering  a  new  field. 

He  Had  Done  What  He  Could.  When  Paul  departed 
from  Jerusalem  for  Tarsus  he  was  acting  under  a  com¬ 
mandment  to  go  afar  to  the  Gentiles.  He  had  closed  that 
part  of  his  ministry  which  had  to  with  the  Jews  especially. 
He  had  borne  witness  to  Jesus  as  the  Son  of  God  in  the 
cities  where  he  had  persecuted  the  Christians  and  beaten 
them  and  caused  them  to  be  put  to  death.  He  had  faced 
death  both  in  Damascus  and  in  Jerusalem.  He  had  wished 
to  stay  in  Jerusalem  for  a  longer  time  that  he  might 

75 


76 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


accomplish  more  in  his  efforts  to  undo  the  evil  he  had 
done,  but  he  was  not  permitted  to  do  so,  having  been  told 
in  a  vision  that  he  was  to  depart  from  the  city.  He  had 
done  what  he  could  to  make  amends  for  the  ravages  he 
had  committed  against  the  Church  of  Christ. 

Lifelong  Regrets.  I  Cor.  15:9.  Paul  had  done  what 
he  could  to  make  amends  for  the  evil  he  had  done  as  a 
persecutor  of  the  Church.  It  is  no  easy  task,  however, 
to  stop  the  flood  of  evil  consequences  which  flows  from 
even  one  misdeed,  and  Paul  had  committed  many,  many 
evil  acts  against  the  cause  of  Christ.  His  career  as  a 
persecutor  was  a  cause  of  lifelong  regret  to  him.  In  his 
hours  of  greatest  accomplishment  the  memory  of  his  ac¬ 
tivities  as  a  persecutor  rose  up  to  mingle  the  bitterness  of 
remorse  with  the  sweetness  of  his  victories.  Sometimes 
when  he  was  inclined  to  congratulate  himself  on  the  great 
things  he  had  accomplished  as  a  disciple  of  Jesus,  there 
would  come  a  thought  which  caused  a  blush  of  shame. 
With  bowed  head  he  would  at  such  times  say,  “For  I  am 
the  least  of  the  apostles,  that  am  not  meet  to  be  called  an 
apostle,  because  I  persecuted  the  church  of  God.” 

God  is  able  in  a  wonderful  way  to  overrule  evil.  He 
makes  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise  him.  Nevertheless 
those  who  truly  repent  of  their  evil  deeds  never  cease  to 
regret  having  transgressed  the  commandments  of  God. 
The  persecutions  which  Paul  carried  on  against  the 
Christians  give  us  a  good  illustration  of  this  principle. 
In  a  way  these  persecutions  were  a  blessing  to  the 
Church.  They  caused  the  Christians  to  depart  from 
Jerusalem  and  to  go  into  distant  lands  bearing  the  mes¬ 
sage  concerning  a  Saviour.  Paul  never  felt,  however, 
that  this  fact  lessened  in  any  way  his  guilt  as  a  perse¬ 
cutor.  To  the  last  day  of  his  life  he  regretted  that  he  had 
consented  to  the  death  of  Stephen  and  beaten  the  Chris¬ 
tians  in  the  synagogues  and  voted  for  a  death  penalty 
when  they  were  tried  before  the  sanhedrin. 

Obedient  to  the  Church.  The  impression  has  grown 
up  that  Paul  was  a  kind  of  “free  lance”  among  the  first- 
century  Christians ;  that  is,  that  he  did  pretty  much  as 
he  pleased  among  his  brethren  of  the  Church  and  that  he 
paid  little  attention  to  Church  authority.  It  is  well  to 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


77 


remember  in  this  connection  that  in  going  to  Tarsus  he 
was  acting  in  harmony  with  the  expressed  wishes  of  the 
apostles  who  were  then  dwelling  in  Jerusalem.  As  we 
pursue  our  study  we  shall  see  that  it  was  Paul’s  enemies 
who  really  disregarded  the  commandments  of  the  Church 
while  Paul  was  uniformly  obedient  to  the  expressed 
wishes  of  the  Church  and  of  the  apostles  who  were 
looked  upon  as  its  official  head. 

Drawing  Nearer  to  His  Great  Life  Task.  When  Paul 
left  Jerusalem  he  was  drawing  nearer  his  great  life  work, 
but  he  was  by  no  means  to  enter  fully  upon  it  at  once. 
For  some  ten  years  more  his  work  was  to  be,  in  part  at 
least,  among  his  own  people.  For  ten  years  his  work  was 
to  be  on  rather  a  small  scale  and  beset  with  many  hin¬ 
drances.  God  often  leads  people  through  long  periods  of 
waiting  when  he  is  getting  them  ready  for  a  great  life 
work.  Columbus  waited  and  labored  twenty  years  before 
he  set  sail  to  find  a  new  route  to  the  Indies.  Sir  Isaac 
Newton  labored  almost  as  long  before  the  law  of  gravita¬ 
tion  was  demonstrated.  Jesus  spent  thirty  years  at  Naza¬ 
reth  and  during  most  of  that  time  he  was  eager  to  be 
about  his  Father’s  business.  Such  periods  of  prolonged 
delay  are  a  part  of  the  education  through  which  God  fits 
people  for  great  tasks. 

Turning  Courageously  Homeward.  It  must  have  been 
hard  for  Paul  to  come  back  to  Damascus  and  to  preach 
Christ  where  he  had  intended  to  persecute  the  Christians. 
It  must  have  been  harder  still  for  him  to  come  again  into 
Jerusalem  where  he  had  been  the  leader  of  the  persecu¬ 
tions.  But  a  still  harder  task  was  now  before  him.  He 
was  facing  homeward.  He  was  going  to  meet  his  rela¬ 
tives  who  were  strict  Pharisees.  He  was  going  to  meet 
people  whom  he  had  known  since  boyhood.  He  was 
going  back  to  the  old  home  town,  but,  he  was  going  back 
as  a  professed  follower  of  the  Nazarene  Teacher  whose 
disciples  he  had  persecuted.  Many  young  converts  have 
found  it  much  more  difficult  to  bear  testimony  among 
their  kinsfolk  and  among  those  whom  they  have  known 
from  childhood  than  among  other  people  to  whom  they 
are  less  intimately  related.  Young  converts  have  found 
this  kind  of  witnessing  hard  even  when  their  home 


78 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


friends  and  relatives  are  heartily  in  sympathy  with  them. 
With  Paul  there  was  no  hope  for  a  friendly  or  even 
tolerant  attitude  toward  the  step  he  had  taken  in  becom¬ 
ing  a  Christian.  He  knew  how  his  parents  and  friends 
would  feel  about  the  matter. 

Paul  had  not  feared  to  go  back  to  Damascus  in  the 
face  of  certain  opposition  and  persecution.  He  had  not 
hesitated  to  go  to  Jerusalem  even  though  his  life  was  in 
danger  every  moment  that  he  spent  within  the  walls  of 
the  city.  But  he  was  going  now  where  he  was  certain 
to  meet  experiences  more  trying  than  any  which  had  yet 
fallen  to  his  lot.  As  a  Jewish  lad  he  had  been  taught  to 
honor  his  father  and  mother.  He  had  always  regarded 
their  wishes  as  the  law  of  his  life.  He  foresaw  now  that 
it  would  in  all  probability  be  necessary  for  him  either  to 
go  contrary  to  the  wishes  of  his  family  or  to  become 
delinquent  in  the  duties  which  he  owed  to  God. 

As  a  little  boy  in  the  synagogue  school  at  Tarsus  he 
had  learned  to  honor  his  teachers.  He  had  come  to 
believe  that  they  were  the  representatives  of  God  and 
that  to  disobey  them  in  any  way  was  to  commit  a  great 
sin  against  Jehovah.  He  knew  that  these  teachers,  now 
grown  old,  could  never  understand  why  he  had  become 
a  follower  of  Jesus.  He  knew  that  his  family  could  never 
understand.  He  knew  that  none  of  his  acquaintances  in 
Tarsus,  the  companions  of  his  boyhood  years,  could 
understand.  Tarsus  offered  less  physical  danger  than 
Jerusalem,  but  his  home-coming  seemed  certain  to  result 
in  the  loss  of  relationships  which  he  valued  more  than 
life. 

A  Servant  of  Jesus.  All  of  Paul’s  letters  begin  with 
some  such  phrase  as  “Paul  a  servant  of  Jesus  Christ.” 
The  Greek  word  which  is  translated  “servant”  means  a 
bond  servant  or  slave.  Paul  meant  that  he  belonged  en¬ 
tirely  to  Jesus.  It  was  this  supreme  loyalty  to  Jesus 
that  was  to  be  tested  when  Paul  entered  the  home  of  his 
childhood.  It  was  the  possibility  of  such  a  situation  that 
Jesus  had  in  view  when  he  said  that  if  any  person  loved 
father  or  mother  more  than  that  person  loved  him,  there 
was  no  possibility  of  that  person’s  becoming  a  real  dis¬ 
ciple.  It  does  not  often  happen  that  in  order  to  obey  Jesus 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


79 


a  person  must  be  disobedient  to  parents.  This  was  likely 
to  happen  in  Paul’s  case,  however,  and  he  doubtless  was 
fully  aware  of  it  as  he  drew  near  his  home.  What  ought 
he  to  do?  Should  he  obey  his  Pharisee  father  and  give 
up  faith  in  Jesus,  or  should  he  obey  Jesus  and  lose  the 
friendship  of  his  father  and  all  the  rest  of  the  family? 
Paul  probably  thought  these  problems  over  and  deter¬ 
mined  that  his  first  and  highest  allegiance  was  to  Jesus. 
He  felt  that  if  he  was  true  to  that  allegiance  he  could  not 
be  really  untrue  to  any  other  rightful  relationship.  He 
probably  saw  that  under  such  circumstances  the  law  of 
obedience  to  parents  gave  way  to  a  higher  law,  the  com¬ 
mandment  to  obey  and  honor  God. 

Suggestions  eor  Notebook  Work 

Locate  Caesarea  on  the  notebook  maps.  Write  in  the 
notebooks  a  brief  letter  such  as  Paul  might  have  written 
to  his  friend  Ananias  in  Damascus,  telling  him  of  his 
experiences  in  Jerusalem  and  his  reasons  for  leaving  that 
city  to  go  to  Tarsus.  Picture:  Caesarea  in  Palestine,  No. 
309. 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

BEARING  WITNESS  IN  THE  OLD  HOME  TOWN 
Eph.  6:4;  Col.  3:21;  II  Cor.  11 :23-26;  Acts  11 : 19-26 

Of  the  fourteen  years  which  elapsed  from  the  time 
Paul  left  Jerusalem  for  Tarsus  until  he  returned  to  Jeru¬ 
salem,  ten  years  were  spent  in  Syria  and  Cilicia  with 
Tarsus  as  headquarters.  This  was,  as  has  been  said  in 
a  preceding  paragraph,  a  time  of  obscurity  in  the  life 
story  of  Paul.  It  was,  however,  a  time  of  much  impor¬ 
tance  since  it  immediately  preceded  his  launching  forth 
upon  the  greatest  enterprises  of  his  career.  It  was  a  time 
of  preparation,  a  time  when  Paul  was  gaining  practical 
knowledge  through  experience.  It  is  therefore  worth 
our  while  to  consider  some  of  the  probable  events  and 
circumstances  of  this  period  of  Paul’s  life,  even  though 
some  of  our  conclusions  will  rest  on  probabilities  rather 
than  on  historical  evidence. 


80 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


A  Family  Tragedy  and  an  Unbroken  Silence.  Eph. 
6:4;  Col.  3:21.  It  is  almost  certain  that  Paul’s  home¬ 
coming  was  marked  by  some  terrible  family  clash  which 
resulted  in  the  lifelong  alienation  of  his  relatives.  Paul’s 
father  was  a  strict  Pharisee.  He  would  look  upon  his 
son’s  becoming  a  Christian  as  an  appalling  calamity.  He 
would  make  every  effort  to  turn  his  son  back  to  the  reli¬ 
gion  of  the  forefathers.  He  would  not  only  urge  this 
action  but  also  command  it  with  all  the  authority  which 
belonged  to  a  Jewish  father.  Of  course,  Paul  would  not 
deny  Jesus.  He  would  not  do  it  to  save  his  life  in  Da¬ 
mascus  or  Jerusalem  and  he  could  not  do  it  even  though 
it  alienated  his  father  and  his  other  relatives  and  caused 
them  to  think  of  him  as  no  longer  related  to  them  in  any 
way. 

In  all  his  writings  Paul  does  not  mention  his  family 
even  once.  It  seems  probable  that  this  unbroken  silence 
is  the  result  of  the  clash  with  his  relatives  which  occurred 
when  he  returned  to  Tarsus  after  becoming  a  Christian. 
Here  and  there  in  Paul’s  writings  are  little  remarks  which 
seem  to  hint  at  this  sad  experience.  Whenever  he  hap¬ 
pened  to  be  giving  advice  to  people  about  family  mat¬ 
ters,  he  seems  to  have  thought  about  the  possibility  that 
the  father  of  the  household  might  be  so  severe  with  his 
children  as  to  cause  them  to  become  discouraged.  So  we 
find  him  repeating  some  such  admonition  as,  “Fathers, 
provoke  not  your  children,  that  they  be  not  discouraged.’’ 
This  can  hardly  be  said  to  be  an  admonition  most  often 
needed  by  fathers.  There  are  many  other  things  which 
Paul  might  have  said.  It  seems  probable,  therefore,  that 
in  this  habit  of  Paul’s  we  have  evidence  of  sad  memories 
concerning  a  father  who  disowned  his  son  and  banished 
him  forever  from  home  because  he  would  not  renounce 
his  faith  in  Jesus  as  the  Messiah  and  the  Son  of  God. 

Lifelong  Enemies.  Paul’s  acceptance  of  Jesus  as  the 
Messiah  turned  practically  all  his  friends  into  enemies. 
Most  of  these  former  friends  never  forgave  Paul.  They 
had  not  forgotten  him  when  many  years  after  his  con¬ 
version  he  came  back  to  Jerusalem.  We  find  these 
enemies  at  one  time  banding  themselves  together  with 
an  oath  that  they  would  neither  eat  nor  drink  until  they 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


81 


had  slain  Paul.  Paul  was  a  born  fighter  and  he  refused 
to  change  his  plans  even  though  his  enemies  hounded 
him  on  every  hand.  Nevertheless,  we  have  reason  to 
believe  that  this  loss  of  his  friends  cast  a  shadow  across 
his  life  from  time  to  time.  It  was  a  part  of  the  price 
which  he  was  glad  to  pay  in  order  to  win  fellowship  with 
Jesus,  but  it  was  a  real  loss,  and  a  loss  which  he  felt 
deeply,  for  his  was  a  warm  and  generous  soul  to  which 
friendships  meant  a  great  deal. 

Ten  Years  of  Hard  and  Dangerous  Toil.  II  Cor. 
11 :2 3-26.  In  this  passage  from  the  second  letter  which 
Paul  wrote  to  the  church  in  Corinth,  Paul  enumerated 
the  various  hardships  and  dangers  through  which  he 
had  passed  as  a  missionary.  He  wrote  of  having  been 
flogged  on  five  different  occasions  by  the  Jews  and  stated 
that  on  each  of  these  occasions  he  received  thirty-nine 
strokes  of  the  scourge.  He  said  that  he  was  beaten  with 
rods  three  times,  stoned  once,  shipwrecked  three  times. 
He  mentioned  being  “in  perils  of  rivers,  in  perils  of  rob¬ 
bers,  in  perils  from  my  countrymen,  in  perils  from  the 
Gentiles,  in  perils  in  the  city,  in  perils  in  the  wilderness, 
in  perils  in  the  sea,  in  perils  among  false  brethren.”  As 
we  read  these  words  we  realize  how  little  of  the  life  of 
Paul  is  recorded  in  the  New  Testament.  We  can  identify 
some  of  these  statements  with  incidents  of  Paul’s  life 
mentioned  in  The  Acts  of  the  Apostles  and  in  other  parts 
of  the  New  Testament.  Most  of  them,  however,  are  not 
mentioned  anywhere  else  in  The  Acts  or  in  the  writings 
of  Paul  himself. 

It  is  probable  that  some  of  the  adventures  here  men¬ 
tioned  occurred  during  the  ten  years  which  Paul  spent 
in  Cilicia  and  Syria.  These  were  years  of  hard  toil  for 
Paul.  They  were  years  when  he  was  practically  alone. 
He  had  no  great  church  behind  him  as  was  the  case  after 
he  went  to  Antioch.  Cast  off  by  his  family  he  must  earn 
all  his  living  by  working  as  a  tentmaker.  He  must  have 
labored  under  great  difficulties  and  constant  discourage¬ 
ments  for  there  were  many  Jews  in  Cilicia  and  Syria  and 
they  doubtless  constantly  opposed  him  and  sought  to 
destroy  both  him  and  the  churches  which  he  organized. 
In  this  time  of  testing,  which  was  ten  years  long,  Paul 


82 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


was  not  found  wanting.  No  task  could  tire  him  out. 
No  enemy  could  frighten  him  away  from  the  field.  He 
kept  right  on  in  spite  of  failures  and  discouragements 
and  hardships  and  dangers.  He  won  out  for  he  succeeded 
in  founding  Christian  churches  throughout  the  whole 
region.  The  fame  of  Paul’s  accomplishments  at  last 
reached  the  church  in  Jerusalem.  The  Christians  in  that 
city  said  to  one  another,  “He  that  once  persecuted  us 
now  preacheth  the  faith  of  which  he  once  made  havoc.” 
“And  they  glorified  God.”  Gal.  1 :23,  24.  Paul  had  thus, 
by  his  diligence  and  his  zeal  in  a  hard  and  discouraging 
field  of  labor,  broken  through  the  obscurity  which  had 
enveloped  him.  Once  famed  as  the  persecutor  of  the 
Christians  he  was  now  becoming  known  as  one  of  the 
greatest  of  the  followers  of  Jesus. 

Called  to  a  Great  Opportunity.  Acts  11:19-26.  The 
Christians  who  had  fled  from  Jerusalem  during  the  per¬ 
secutions  which  followed  the  death  of  Stephen  came  down 
to  Phoenicia,  Cyprus,  and  Antioch  preaching  the  gospel 
everywhere  they  went.  For  the  most  part  these  fugitives 
preached  to  Jews  only,  but  there  were  certain  people 
from  Cyprus  and  Cyrene  who  on  coming  into  Antioch 
began  to  preach  to  Greeks  as  well  as  Jews.  Great  num¬ 
bers  of  Greeks  became  believers  in  Jesus  under  the 
instruction  of  these  Christian  preachers  and  teachers. 

Reports  concerning  this  great  religious  awakening 
among  the  Gentile  people  of  Antioch  finally  reached  the 
heads  of  the  church  in  Jerusalem.  They  sent  Barnabas 
to  investigate.  The  Christians  in  Jerusalem  were  not 
quite  sure  that  the  gospel  ought  to  be  preached  to  Gen¬ 
tiles  just  as  it  was  preached  to  Jews.  When  Barnabas 
came  to  Antioch  “and  had  seen  the  grace  of  God,”  he 
“was  glad ;  and  he  exhorted  them  all,  that  with  purpose 
of  heart  they  would  cleave  unto  the  Lord.” 

The  church  at  Antioch  in  a  little  while  became  one  of 
the  greatest  in  the  world.  Its  work  among  the  Gentiles 
was  so  successful  that  a  new  door  for  the  spread  of  Chris¬ 
tianity  was  swung  wide  open.  Barnabas  was  a  wise  man ; 
therefore,  he  realized  the  greatness  of  the  opportunity 
which  had  presented  itself  in  Antioch.  He  saw  the  need 
for  a  great  leader  who  could  seize  this  opportunity  and 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


83 


make  the  most  of  it  for  the  spread  of  the  Christian  reli¬ 
gion  throughout  the  world.  Barnabas  was  humble 
enough  to  realize  that  he  was  not  the  best  person  for  such 
a  position.  He  thought  of  Paul  with  whom  he  had  talked 
in  Jerusalem  ten  years  before  and  whom  he  had  brought 
to  the  apostles  with  words  of  commendation.  Perhaps 
Paul  had  at  that  time  told  Barnabas  something  about  his 
hopes  concerning  the  conversion  of  the  Gentiles  to  the 
Christian  religion.  Barnabas  believed  that  Paul  was  the 
one  man  for  the  place.  He  had  lately  heard  that  Paul 
was  laboring  in  Cilicia  and  Syria  with  his  headquarters 
in  Tarsus  and  that  he  was  successful  in  his  work  of  estab¬ 
lishing  churches.  So  Barnabas  left  Antioch  to  go  to 
Tarsus  in  search  of  Paul. 

Paul  Leaves  Tarsus  to  Take  Up  the  Work  in  Antioch. 

Barnabas  came  to  Tarsus  where  he  succeeded  in  finding 
Paul.  He  laid  before  his  friend  the  situation  in  Antioch, 
telling  him  about  the  great  work  among  the  Gentiles. 
Paul  had  the  instincts  of  a  great  military  leader.  He 
knew  that  Antioch  was  a  strategic  point.  He  realized 
that  it  was  in  many  ways  well  fitted  to  become  the  center 
of  a  world-wide  work  among  the  Gentiles.  Paul  could 
not  be  driven  from  his  field  in  Cilicia  and  Syria  by  dan¬ 
gers  and  hardships,  but  when  a  new  and  promising 
opportunity  for  service  in  his  chosen  field  opened  before 
him  in  another  section,  it  was  a  different  matter.  So  he 
bade  good-by  to  his  friends  in  Cilicia  and  Syria  and  came 
with  Barnabas  to  Antioch.  He  was  at  last  face  to  face 
with  the  opportunity  for  which  his  soul  had  hungered  for 
more  than  a  dozen  years.  He  was  ready  to  begin  in  real 
earnest  his  great  life  task. 

The:  Lesson  Prayer 

We  thank  thee,  our  Father  in  heaven,  for  the  life  of 
heroic  devotion  about  which  we  have  been  studying. 
We  know  that  the  apostles  and  other  Christian  believers 
of  the  early  Church  through  their  labors  and  prayers 
laid  the  foundations  of  the  Christian  Church.  Teach  us 
to  be  like  them  in  our  devotion  to  the  truth  and  in  our 
zeal  to  work  in  thy  service.  Help  us  to  do  small  tasks 
well.  Show  us  how  to  be  faithful  under  trying  and  dis- 


84 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


couraging  circumstances.  Lead  us  into  the  kind  of 
service  which  we  can  do  best  and  in  which  we  can  do 
most  good.  Give  all  who  are  professed  followers  of  Jesus 
that  kind  of  fidelity  which  was  manifested  by  thy  servant 
Paul  and  thus  make  it  possible  for  the  Church  to  win  all 
the  world  to  thee  and  thy  Son,  our  Saviour.  We  ask  in 
his  name.  Amen. 

Supplemental  Missionary  Story 

% 

“Francis  Cceur-de-Lion.”  “The  Book  of  Missionary 
Heroes,”  page  47.  _ 

EXPRESSION AL  SESSION 

THE  PLACE  OF  PERSEVERANCE  IN  A  GREAT  AND 

USEFUL  LIFE 

Eph.  6:10-20 

Our  Scripture  lesson  is  one  of  the  best-known  utter¬ 
ances  of  Paul.  It  sounds  like  a  chapter  out  of  his  own 
life  history.  He  was  evidently  speaking  out  of  his  own 
experiences.  His  many  admonitions  contain  no  recom¬ 
mendations  for  actions  which  he  had  not  tried  himself. 
He  was  “strong  in  the  Lord,  and  in  the  strength  of  his 
might,”  because  he  had  taken  upon  himself  the  whole 
armor  of  God.  He  had  been  armed  with  the  sword  of  the 
Spirit.  He  had  been  persevering  in  prayer  and  in  labor. 
We  have  just  been  studying  about  a  period  of  Paul’s  life 
which  called  for  unconquerable  perseverance.  His  stay 
of  ten  years  in  Cilicia  and  Syria  shows  that  he  was  per¬ 
severing  under  long-continued  hardships  and  discourage¬ 
ments.  What  if  he  had  become  discouraged  after  five  or 
six  years  of  seemingly  unprofitable  labor  at  the  begin¬ 
ning  of  this  period?  What  if  he  had  said,  “I  can’t  do 
anything  here;  the  difficulties  are  too  great;  if  I  could 
go  to  some  great  city  like  Antioch,  or  Ephesus,  or  Rome, 
where  there  are  better  opportunities,  I  know  I  could  suc¬ 
ceed,  but  I  am  only  wasting  my  life  here  and  I  am  going 
to  give  up  the  task”?  If  Paul  had  said  this  to  himself 
and  then  carried  out  his  words,  we  never  should  have 
heard  of  him.  If  he  had  not  been  persevering  in  Cilicia 
and  Syria,  he  never  would  have  been  called  to  Antioch. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


85 


Some  Truths  from  the  Lessons  We  Have 

Been  Studying 

It  was  thirteen  or  fourteen  years  from  the  time  when 
Paul  first  caught  sight  of  his  life  task  to  the  time  when  he 
really  entered  upon  it.  During  all  that  time  he  labored 
on  under  great  difficulties  and  dangers  with  unwavering 
perseverance. 

Paul  persevered  in  his  work  even  when  his  family 
turned  against  him.  Few  people  in  our  land  and  in  our 
day  have  such  an  experience  as  this.  Our  relatives  and 
friends  are  usually  glad  to  help  us  onward  in  Christian 
living. 

Paul’s  time  of  hardest  testing  came  just  before  the  door 
of  a  great  opportunity  swung  wide  before  him.  It  is 
often  thus  in  life.  God  tries  us  out  to  see  if  we  are 
really  ready  for  the  great  opportunity. 

Barnabas  was  one  of  these  persevering  friends  who  can 
never  do  enough  for  those  whom  they  respect  and  love. 
He  did  Paul  two  great  acts  of  kindness.  He  persuaded 
the  apostles  in  Jerusalem  that  Paul  was  really  sincere  in 
his  desire  to  become  a  disciple  of  Jesus.  He  went  to 
Tarsus  and  searched  for  Paul  until  he  found  him  and 
brought  him  back  to  Antioch. 


Review  Questions 

1.  Name  two  periods  of  obscurity  in  the  life  of  Paul. 

2.  What  did  Paul  do  to  make  amends  for  the  evil  he 
had  done  as  a  persecutor? 

3.  Show  that  Paul  regretted. his  persecuting  activities 
as  long  as  he  lived. 

4.  Show  that  Paul  was  obedient  to  the  Church. 

5.  Why  was  it  hard  for  Paul  to  go  back  to  Tarsus 
after  becoming  a  Christian? 

6.  What  did  Paul  mean  by  calling  himself  the  “serv¬ 
ant  of  Jesus’’  ? 

7.  Give  evidences  that  Paul’s  family  disowned  him. 

8.  Tell  of  Paul’s  work  in  Cilicia  and  Syria. 

9.  What  kind  of  man  was  Barnabas? 

10.  Tell  of  the  growth  of  the  church  in  Antioch. 


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PAUL,  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Bible  Verses 

Matt.  24:13;  Mark  13:13;  Luke  9:62;  Acts  13:43; 
I  Cor.  15:58;  16:13;  Col.  1:23;  II  Tim.  4:7,  8;  Heb.  10:23 ; 
Rev.  2 :25. 

Study  Topics 

1.  The  Perseverance  of  a  Great  Inventor.  (Look  up 
the  life  of  an  inventor  such  as  Elias  Howe,  Professor 
Morse,  or  Eli  Whitney.) 

2.  The  Perseverance  of  a  Great  Missionary.  (Look 
up  the  life  of  a  missionary  such  as  Livingstone,  John  G. 
Paton,  or  Adoniram  Judson.) 

3.  The  Perseverance  of  a  Great  Explorer.  (Look  up 
the  life  of  a  great  explorer  such  as  Henry  Hudson,  Chris¬ 
topher  Columbus,  or  Sir  Francis  Drake.) 

4.  Incidents  in  the  Life  of  Jesus  Which  Show  His 
Perseverance. 

5.  Some  of  Paul’s  Admonitions  to  Perseverance.  Gal. 
6:9,  10;  II  Thess.  3:13. 

6.  Perseverance  as  a  Characteristic  of  the  Divine  Na¬ 
ture.  Isa.  40:28;  Luke  15:3-7. 

7.  Why  Perseverance  Is  Necessary  to  High  Attain¬ 
ments  in  Scholarship. 

8.  Why  Perseverance  Is  Especially  Needed  in  the 
Work  of  the  Church. 

9.  Perseverance  a  Characteristic  of  Great  Leaders. 
Illustration :  Moses. 

10.  The  Word  “Perseverance”  and  Some  of  Its  Syno¬ 
nyms.  (Look  up  derivation  of  the  word  in  a  dictionary.) 

The  Lesson  Truth  Expressed  in  a  Law 

The  Law  of  Perseverance.  No  great  task  is  ever  ac¬ 
complished  without  that  earnest  and  continuous  devotion 
which  we  name  perseverance.  Therefore : 

1.  We  will  perseveringly  strive  to  become  physically, 
intellectually,  and  spiritually  prepared  for  whatever  work 
God  would  have  us  do. 

2.  We  will  bring  persevering  effort  to  the  task  which 
God  assigns  us. 

3.  We  will  set  as  our  character  goal  the  high  stand¬ 
ards  manifested  in  the  teachings  and  in  the  life  of  Jesus 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


87 


and  we  will  strive  to  attain  these  standards  through 
prayer  and  persevering  labor. 

Projects  for  Putting  the  Lesson  Truths 

Into  Practice 

If  the  closing  suggestions  of  preceding  chapters  have 
been  carried  out,  the  class  will  now  be  engaged  in  one  or 
more  projects.  The  success  of  these  undertakings  will 
call  for  persevering  effort.  The  pupils  will  thus  have  an 
opportunity  to  put  the  truths  of  this  lesson  into  practice. 
Pupils  who  are  professed  followers  of  Christ  will  have 
need  for  perseverance  in  well-doing.  The  skilled  teacher 
will  be  in  close  sympathy  with  all  pupils  and  will  help 
them  to  apply  the  lesson  truths  to  their  personal 
problems. 


CHAPTER  VII 

PASTOR  AND  DEADER  OF  A  GREAT  CHURCH 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

A  YOKEFELLOW  WITH  BARNABAS 
Acts  4:36,  37;  9:26-30;  11 :25,  26 

The  Bible  speaks  of  one  chasing  a  thousand  and  two 
putting  ten  thousand  to  flight.  This  is  a  striking  way 
of  saying  that  two  people  working  together  can  accom¬ 
plish  far  more  than  two  people  working  separately. 
People  who  have  accomplished  great  tasks  in  their  lives 
usually  owe  some  of  their  success  to  this  principle.  They 
have  had  the  ability  to  choose  the  right  kind  of  helpers 
and  they  have  been  able  to  work  with  their  helpers 
effectively.  Paul  had  these  abilities  in  a  very  high  degree. 
He  chose  able  helpers  and  he  was  capable  of  working 
with  them  so  as  to  accomplish  great  tasks  through  co¬ 
operation.  We  shall  learn  how  Barnabas,  Silas,  Timothy, 
Titus,  Luke,  John  Mark,  and  others  became  helpers  of 
Paul.  In  this  lesson  we  are  to  learn  about  what  Paul 
accomplished  in  Antioch  with  the  help  of  his  first  yoke¬ 
fellow,  Barnabas. 

The  City  of  Antioch.  Paul  had  now  come  to  labor  in 
one  of  the  greatest  cities  of  the  Roman  Empire.  Only 
Rome  and  Alexandria  were  considered  to  be  more  impor¬ 
tant  cities  than  Antioch.  It  lay  on  the  south  bank  of  the 
Orontes  River,  twenty  miles  from  the  sea.  Antioch  was 
noted  for  its  beautiful  temples  and  for  its  great  school  of 
philosophy.  The  atmosphere  of  the  city  was  of  the  sort 
in  which  Paul  would  feel  quite  at  home  for  it  was  much 
like  that  of  the  city  of  Tarsus  in  which  Paul  had  lived  as 
a  boy.  Antioch  was  likewise  noted  for  its  industry  and 
its  commerce.  Ships  from  ports  in  all  parts  of  the  known 
world  ascended  the  Orontes  to  its  wharves.  It  was 
located  on  the  great  land  routes  of  travel  which  connected 
Asia  with  Europe  and  Africa.  Paul  had  foreseen  that 
a  strong  Christian  church  in  Antioch  would  make  its 
influence  felt  in  three  continents. 

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PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


89 


A  Strong  Team.  Paul  and  Barnabas  made  a  strong 
team  of  workers.  They  were  quite  unlike  each  other  in 
most  respects,  but  this  unlikeness  enabled  them  to  help 
one  another.  Paul  was  enthusiastic,  quick-tempered,  and 
impulsive.  He  was  sometimes  in  danger  of  making  ene¬ 
mies  unnecessarily  by  the  vigor  of  his  assaults  upon  those 
whom  he  considered  as  his  opponents.  Barnabas  was 
quite  the  opposite  of  Paul  in  this  respect.  He  was  mild- 
mannered  and  kindly.  He  won  people  not  by  forcibly 
overwhelming  them  with  his  logic  and  his  enthusiasm, 
but  by  gradually  leading  them  to  see  the  truth  as  he 
believed  it  and  lived  it.  Some  people  are  won  to  the 
Christian  life  in  Paul’s  way,  others  are  won  in  Barnabas’ 
way.  So  it  came  to  pass  that  Paul  and  Barnabas  work¬ 
ing  together  were  able  to  win  all  sorts  of  people  to  a  faith 
in  Jesus.  Paul  alone  or  Barnabas  alone  might  have  won 
a  thousand  people  to  the  Christian  Church  during  the 
year  they  labored  in  Antioch,  but  Paul  and  Barnabas 
working  together  may  have  won  ten  thousand  because 
each  helped  the  other. 

A  Church  of  Vision  and  Brotherhood.  The  church  to 
the  leadership  of  which  Paul  had  now  been  called  was 
not  only  one  of  the  largest  Christian  churches  in  the 
world  at  that  time,  but  it  was  also  one  of  the  most  enter¬ 
prising  and  progressive.  The  church  in  Antioch  had  been 
the  first  to  admit  Gentiles  freely  into  its  fellowship  and 
on  the  same  conditions  as  Jews.  It  was  a  church  which 
had  grasped  the  fact  that  in  Jesus  there  is  no  Jew  or 
Greek,  bond  or  free,  but  that  all  are  one  great  family  in 
the  Christian  fellowship.  With  such  a  church  back  of 
him  Paul  now  had  a  splendid  opportunity  to  realize  his 
long-cherished  dream  of  winning  the  Gentiles  to  the  cause 
of  Christ. 

The  Antioch  church  manifested  its  sense  of  universal 
brotherhood  in  a  very  striking  way  as  we  shall  see  in 
the  next  lesson.  This  sense  of  brotherhood  gave  the 
Antioch  church  vision.  The  Christians  in  Antioch  saw 
the  possibility  of  carrying  out  Christ’s  commandment  to 
make  disciples  of  all  nations.  They  saw  it  more  clearly 
than  the  church  at  Jerusalem  saw  it.  The  church  of 
Antioch  was  filled  with  missionary  interest  and  zeal. 


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PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Great  Progress  Under  the  Leadership  of  Paul  and  Bar¬ 
nabas.  When  a  church  like  the  church  of  Antioch  and 
leaders  like  Paul  and  Barnabas  get  together  there  is 
always  great  progress.  For  a  year  Paul  and  Barnabas 
gave  themselves  wholly  to  organizing  and  recruiting  and 
instructing  the  church  in  Antioch.  It  was  like  a  great 
school  in  which  Paul  and  Barnabas  were  the  leading 
teachers.  The  account  says,  ‘‘And  it  came  to  pass,  that 
even  for  a  whole  year  they  were  gathered  together  with 
the  church,  and  taught  much  people.”  Paul’s  preparation 
for  teaching  now  made  him  a  power  for  good  in  Antioch. 
If  he  had  neglected  his  school  tasks  when  he  was  a  little 
boy  in  the  synagogue  school  of  Tarsus,  or  had  not  done 
his  work  well  when  he  was  a  lad  in  the  school  of  Gama¬ 
liel  at  Jerusalem,  the  effect  of  his  neglect  would  have 
become  manifest  as  he  labored  thus  in  Antioch  after  many 
years.  The  kind  of  life  we  live  as  boys  or  girls  has  much 
to  do  with  our  success  or  failure  when  we  are  men  and 
women. 

Under  the  leadership  of  Paul  and  Barnabas  the  church 
of  Antioch  increased  in  numbers.  It  grew  because  Paul 
and  Barnabas  were  hard  workers  ;  they  were  at  their  task 
day  and  night,  seeking  to  persuade  old  and  young  that 
Jesus  is  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  It  grew  because  not 
only  Paul  and  Barnabas  worked,  but  all  the  members  of 
the  church  worked  with  them.  God  honors  labor  faith¬ 
fully  performed,  and  he  gave  the  Antioch  church  the 
increase  which  was  its  due. 

The  church  of  Antioch  grew,  too,  because  it  was  not 
narrow  in  its  views  and  exclusive  in  its  fellowship.  If  the 
members  of  the  church  had  been  unwilling  to  have  fel¬ 
lowship  with  people  who  were  poor,  or  unlearned,  or  of 
foreign  parentage,  the  hard  work  of  Paul  and  Barnabas 
would  have  been  to  a  large  extent  wasted. 

The  church  of  Antioch  increased  in  knowledge.  The 
people  were  anxious  to  learn.  They  came  to  school  and 
sat  at  the  feet  of  Paul  and  Barnabas  as  their  instructors. 
If  the  people  had  not  been  anxious  to  learn  more  about 
the  Christian  faith,  the  skill  of  their  leaders  would  have 
been  of  little  use ;  their  attempts  to  teach  would  have 
ended  in  failure,  for  the  teaching  process  requires  both 


Copyright  by  International 


ANTIOCH  IN  SYRIA 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


91 


teachers  who  have  knowledge  and  skill  and  pupils  who 
are  willing  and  anxious  to  learn. 

The  church  of  Antioch  increased  in  its  activities  under 
the  leadership  of  Paul  and  Barnabas.  We  shall  see  how' 
their  growing  interest  in  the  spread  of  God’s  Kingdom 
led  them  at  the  end  of  a  year  to  send  their  leaders  out 
on  the  first  great  organized  missionary  enterprise  of  the 
Christian  Church  and  how  their  sense  of  universal  broth¬ 
erhood  caused  them  to  come  to  the  rescue  when  their 
brethren  in  Judea  were  threatened  with  starvation. 

The  Followers  of  Jesus  Are  Given  a  New  Name.  Acts 
11:26.  Up  to  this  time  the  Gentile  peoples  had  looked 
upon  the  Christian  religion  as  just  a  different  type  of  the 
Jewish  religion.  But  in  Antioch  the  Gentiles  began  to 
discover  that  the  Christians  were  very  different  from  the 
Jews  whom  they  had  knowm  previously.  They  had  be¬ 
come  accustomed  to  the  ways  of  the  Pharisees  and  scribes 
and  other  Jews  who  were  supposed  to  be  especially 
devoted  to  religion.  They  knew  that  these  Jews  would 
not  eat  with  a  Gentile,  would  not  enter  a  Gentile’s  house, 
would  wash  themselves  thoroughly  if  they  had  been  in 
the  market  place  and  thought  that  some  Gentile  might 
have  touched  them.  The  Christians  of  Antioch  did  not 
act  in  this  way  toward  Gentiles.  They  received  them  into 
their  homes,  ate  with  them,  showed  that  they  looked  upon 
them  as  brothers,  received  them  into  their  Church,  taught 
that  Jesus  is  the  Lord  of  Gentiles  as  well  as  of  Jews  and 
has  come  to  establish  a  Kingdom  of  love  and  service  for 
all  who  will  enter  in.  The  Gentiles  of  Antioch  came  to 
feel  that  the  name  “Jew”  did  not  fit  the  followers  of 
Jesus,  so  they  named  these  people  after  their  great  leader 
of  whom  they  were  always  speaking  and  whom  they  wor¬ 
shiped  as  the  Son  of  God.  They  called  the  followers  of 
Jesus  “Christians,”  or  followers  of  the  Christ. 

Bible  students  used  to  think  that  the  name  was  given 
as  a  term  of  reproach  and  as  a  nickname,  much  as 
rude  children  of  our  land  sometimes  call  certain  people 
from  a  foreign  land  “Dagoes”  or  “Hunkies.”  Many  stu¬ 
dents  of  the  New  Testament  now  believe  that  the  name 
did  not  originate  as  a  term  of  reproach,  but  that  it  was 
at  the  first  a  term  used  to  designate  the  followers  of 


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PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Jesus  in  distinction  from  the  Jews  who  still  rejected  Jesus 
as  the  Messiah  and  clung  to  the  religion  of  the  Jewish 
leaders  of  that  day. 

The  Leaven  of  the  Kingdom.  Jesus  once  told  his 
disciples  that  the  Kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  leaven,  or 
yeast,  “which  a  woman  took  and  hid  in  three  measures 
of  meal,  till  it  was  all  leavened/’  The  truth  of  this  state¬ 
ment  became  more  and  more  evident  as  Paul  and  Bar¬ 
nabas  labored  on  in  Antioch.  The  influence  of  what  thev 

%/ 

were  doing  there  spread  all  over  that  great  city  and  out 
into  the  neighboring  towns.  Christians  removed  from 
Antioch  to  distant  parts  of  the  Roman  Empire  and  they 
carried  their  Christianity  with  them.  These  followers  of 
Jesus  who  had  gone  out  from  the  church  of  Antioch 
became  centers  of  influence  around  which  Christian 
churches  sprang  up  in  distant  lands.  The  Kingdom  of 
God  is  to  be  established  in  just  this  way.  Each  believer 
in  Jesus  is  an  instrument  for  spreading  the  Kingdom  and 
establishing  it.  God’s  plan  cannot  fail  unless  the  instru¬ 
ments  on  which  he  has  put  his  dependence  fail. 

Suggestions  for  Notebook  Work 

Subject  for  essay:  “The  Church  in  Antioch  and  What 
Made  It  Great.”  Picture:  The  Prophecy  of  Agabus,  No. 
649. 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

BEARER  OF  FAMINE  RELIEF 
Acts  11:27-30;  12:25 

Some  years  ago  the  Yang-tse-Kiang  river  of  China 
burst  through  its  levees,  spreading  disaster  over  a  vast 
territory.  Many  thousands  of  people  fled  from  their 
homes  and  gathered  in  hungry  throngs  along  the  borders 
of  the  great  yellow  flood  which  had  destroyed  their 
homes  and  their  crops.  An  American  who  happened  to 
be  in  China  at  the  time  tells  of  an  incident  which  illus¬ 
trates  the  attitude  of  the  wealthy  Chinese  officials  of  that 
day  toward  their  unfortunate  brethren.  A  Chinese  man- 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


93 


darin  was  seen  approaching  a  multitude  of  refugees  by  the 
side  of  the  flooded  river.  The  official  called  out  to  his 
fellow  countrymen,  telling  them  that  the  flood  had  de¬ 
stroyed  all  the  crops  and  there  would  be  nothing  for  them 
to  eat.  He  advised  them  to  cast  themselves  into  the 
water  and  thus  escape  a  slow  death  by  starvation.  When 
the  victims  of  the  flood  saw  the  precious  stones  flashing- 
in  the  mandarin’s  signet  rings  and  realized  that  he  was 
really  a  high  official,  many  of  them  took  his  advice  and 
threw  themselves  into  the  muddy  torrent.  The  rings  on 
the  mandarin’s  fingers  might  have  been  sold  for  enough 
money  to  buy  food  sufficient  to  save  many  lives,  but  the 
mandarin  did  not  seem  even  to  think  of  the  possibility  of 
such  an  action  on  his  part.  In  this  lesson  we  are  to  learn 
how  Christianity  began  to  put  a  new  spirit  into  the  hearts 
of  men,  a  spirit  which  manifests  itself  in  helpfulness  and 
mercy  and  service. 

A  Prophecy  and  Its  Fulfillment.  Acts  11  :27,  28.  After 
Paul  and  Barnabas  had  been  in  Antioch  about  a  year, 
certain  men  arrived  from  Jerusalem.  These  men  were 
Christians  and  are  called  “prophets”  in  the  New  Testa¬ 
ment  passage  which  tells  of  their  visit.  They  were  prob¬ 
ably  preachers  of  Christianity  who  not  only  taught  people 
about  the  religion  which  Jesus  had  established  in  the 
world  but  who  also  were  able  to  forecast  certain  events. 
One  of  these  prophets  was  named  Agabus.  He  told  the 
church  in  Antioch  that  a  great  famine  was  coming  over 
all  the  world.  The  New  Testament  tells  us  that  this 
famine  came  in  the  reign  of  the  Roman  emperor,  Clau¬ 
dius,  just  as  Agabus  had  said  it  would.  A  certain  Jewish 
historian  named  Josephus  also  mentions  a  Judean  famine 
which  occurred  at  this  time. 

A  New  Spirit  in  the  World.  Acts  11:29,  30.  When 
the  Christians  in  Antioch  heard  that  a  great  famine  was 
coming-,  what  did  they  do?  Did  they  say,  “Here  is  a 
chance  to  make  a  lot  of  money”?  Did  they  plan  to  buy 
up  food  and  store  it  away  for  the  high  prices  which  were 
sure  to  come  with  the  famine?  We  are  glad  that  these 
questions  can  be  answered  in  the  negative.  The  Antioch 
Christians  did  not  even  think  first  of  their  own  comfort 
and  safety.  They  thought  first  of  their  brethren  in  Judea. 


94 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


They  knew  that  the  Christians  in  Judea  would  be  sure 
to  suffer  first  when  the  famine  came  and  that  prosperous 
churches  like  that  at  Antioch  must  send  help  promptly 
if  the  brethren  in  Judea  were  to  escape  disaster.  Judea 
is  not  a  rich  country.  Its  soil  is  for  the  most  part  rocky 
and  sterile.  Great  numbers  of  peoples  there  have  always 
been  poverty-stricken  and  constantly  near  the  verge  of 
distressing  want.  A  famine  in  Judea  threatened  many 
people  with  suffering  and  starvation,  while  a  famine  in 
more  prosperous  Antioch  meant  in  all  likelihood  nothing 
more  serious  than  curtailed  luxuries. 

Planning  to  Send  Relief.  So  the  Christians  of  Antioch 
“determined  to  send  relief  unto  the  brethren  that  dwelt 
in  Judcea.”  They  went  about  the  undertaking  system¬ 
atically.  They  decided  that  all  should  give  something 
toward  the  undertaking.  Each  was  to  give  “according 
to  his  ability,”  that  is,  as  much  as  it  seemed  possible  for 
him  to  give.  It  was  to  be  a  freewill  offering,  but  it  turned 
out  to  be  an  offering  in  which  all  shared,  for  there  does 
not  seem  to  have  been  even  one  Christian  who  did  not 
give  something.  The  account  says  that  “every  man”  de¬ 
termined  to  give,  and  to  give  as  much  as  he  could. 

Having  gathered  what  must  have  been  a  large  sum  of 
money,  the  Antioch  Christians  continued  their  effort  at 
famine  relief  in  an  orderly  way.  They  looked  around  for 
responsible  people  to  carry  the  gift  to  Jerusalem.  We  are 
not  surprised  to  learn  that  they  chose  their  two  great 
leaders,  ‘Paul  and  Barnabas.  They  evidently  realized 
that  it  was  a  matter  of  much  importance  to  have  the 
offering  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  proper  persons  in 
Jerusalem,  so  they  commissioned  Paul  and  Barnabas  to 
turn  it  over  to  the  elders  of  the  church  in  Jerusalem  to 
be  distributed  by  these  officials  in  such  a  manner  as  they 
and  the  Jerusalem  church  might  decide  to  be  best.  The 
first  great  philanthropic  undertaking  the  world  had  ever 
witnessed  was  thus  begun  by  the  Christians  of  Antioch 
over  whom  Paul  and  Barnabas  had  been  pastors  for  about 
a  year.  Paul’s  preaching  of  a  universal  brotherhood  in 
which  there  was  neither  Jew  nor  Greek  was  beginning  to 
bear  fruit.  The  influence  of  the  more  quiet  Barnabas 
was  behind  the  movement,  too.  The  Antioch  Christians 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


95 


were  simply  doing  what  their  teacher  Barnabas  had  done 
some  years  before  when  on  becoming  a  Christian  he  sold 
his  land  and  laid  the  price  at  the  disciples’  feet. 

In  Jerusalem  on  a  Mission  of  Mercy.  Paul  thus  en¬ 
tered  on  a  mission  of  mercy  the  city  in  which  his  life 
had  been  sought,  and  from  which  he  had  withdrawn 
because  his  life  was  in  peril  and  his  enemies  so  bitter 
that  he  could  accomplish  hardly  anything.  Paul  had  a 
quick  temper,  but  he  acquired  the  Christian  grace  of 
ready  forgiveness  when  he  became  a  follower  of  Jesus. 
He  had  no  bitterness  in  his  heart  because  he  had  been 
wronged  in  Jerusalem.  He  still  loved  the  holy  city  of 
his  forefathers  and  he  loved  the  Christian  brethren  who 
dwelt  there.  He  was  willing  to  forgive  those  who  had 
wronged  him  and  manifested  no  desire  to  “get  even” 
with  those  who  persisted  in  being  his  enemies. 

Paul’s  visit  to  Jerusalem  on  this  occasion  must  have 
been  brief.  He  does  not  mention  it  in  his  letter  to  the 
Galatians  when  speaking  of  the  various  times  when  he 
visited  the  city.  He  evidently  entered  the  city  quietly 
and  left  it  again  almost  immediately.  Such  a  course 
would  have  been  wise.  The  Christians  were  enjoying 
peace  and  if  Paul’s  presence  in  the  city  had  become 
known  to  his  enemies,  the  persecutions  might  have  broken 
out  again  and  all  the  Christians  suffered.  The  account 
in  The  Acts  indicates  that  the  visit  was  brief  and  hasty. 
Paul  and  Barnabas  were  commissioned  to  deliver  the 
offering  into  the  hands  of  the  elders.  They  were  not  to 
remain  in  Jerusalem  in  order  to  assist  in  the  distribution 
of  the  offering. 

A  New  Recruit  for  the  Missionary  Enterprise.  Acts 
12 :25.  Paul  was  now  in  need  of  helpers.  The  great  work 
in  Antioch  was  taxing  his  strength  and  the  strength  of 
his  colaborer  Barnabas.  Paul  may  have  had  plans  for 
more  far-reaching  efforts  than  he  had  yet  undertaken  and 
thus  he  may  have  been  watching  out  for  suitable  helpers 
in  the  larger  labors  which  he  felt  to  be  near.  At  all  events 
while  in  Jerusalem  he  came  across  a  young  man  named 
John  Mark  and  he  persuaded  this  youth  to  accompany 
him  and  Barnabas  to  Antioch.  John  Mark  was  probably 
little  more  than  a  boy  when  he  became  the  companion  of 


96 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Paul  and  Barnabas.  Paul  had  a  kindly  and  fatherly  feel¬ 
ing  for  boys.  He  chose  several  as  his  helpers  during  his 
career  as  a  missionary  and  he  trained  them  so  that  they 
were  able  gradually  to  take  over  the  great  work  he  had 
begun  and  to  carry  it  on  after  he  was  gone. 

Who  Was  John  Mark?  The  young  man  whom  Paul 
brought  back  with  him  from  Jerusalem  became  one  of 
the  great  men  of  the  early  Church.  He  wrote  that  brief 
account  of  the  life  of  Christ  which  we  call  “The  Gospel 
According  to  Mark/’  He  was  Paul’s  traveling  com¬ 
panion  on  the  first  missionary  journey  which  he  under¬ 
took  from  Antioch ;  after  that  he  was  a  companion  and 
helper  of  Barnabas  in  missionary  work  in  the  island  of 
Cyprus.  Toward  the  close  of  Paul’s  life,  Mark  was  with 
him  again,  and  he  was  probably  beside  his  great  leader 
until  the  time  of  Paul’s  death. 

Mark’s  mother  owned  a  house  in  Jerusalem.  She  was 
one  of  the  early  Christians  for  she  made  her  house  a 
meeting  place  for  the  followers  of  Jesus  immediately 
after  the  resurrection  of  Jesus.  She  had  probably  heard 
Jesus  in  the  days  when  he  was  preaching  and  teaching 
throughout  Judea  and  Galilee  and  had  become  a  believer 
in  him. 

Mark  may  have  known  Jesus,  too,  though  he  was  only 
a  boy  at  the  time  when  Jesus  was  preaching  and  teach¬ 
ing.  It  may  be  that  he  was  one  of  the  band  of  boys  and 
girls  who  welcomed  Jesus  to  Jerusalem  at  the  time  of 
the  triumphal  entry  and  who  kept  on  shouting,  “Hosanna 
to  the  son  of  David,”  long  after  the  older  people  had 
become  silent. 

In  his  Gospel  narrative  Mark  gives  an  interesting 
account  of  a  youth  who  followed  the  crowd  which  had 
seized  Jesus  in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane.  Many  New 
Testament  scholars  believe  that  this  youth  was  Mark 
himself.  Mark  tells  how  this  youth  came  so  close  to  the 
armed  band  who  had  seized  Jesus  that  some  of  the  sol¬ 
diers  or  officers  laid  hold  on  him.  The  youth  was  able  to 
escape  only  by  the  most  dexterous  and  prompt  action. 
He  had  evidently  been  roused  from  sleep  by  the  report 
that  Jesus  was  about  to  be  seized,  for  he  was  clad  only 
in  a  large  outer  garment  like  a  cloak,  which  he  had  evi- 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


97 


dently  thrown  hastily  about  him  as  he  rushed  out  into 
the  night  to  find  Jesus  and  to  do  what  he  could  to  save 
him  from  the  mob  which  the  Jewish  leaders  had  gathered 
from  the  night  crowd  of  the  great  city.  Coming  into  the 
Garden  he  found  that  Jesus  was  being  led  away  to  the 
high  priest’s  palace  and  that  all  the  disciples  had  fled. 
Drawing  near  to  the  company  which  was  leading  Jesus 
away  he  either  made  himself  known  as  a  follower  of 
Jesus  or  was  recognized  as  such  by  some  one  in  the 
crowd.  Having  been  seized,  he  escaped  by  slipping  out 
of  the  garment  in  which  he  was  clad.  Leaving  it  in  the 
hands  of  his  would-be  captors,  he  fled  away  naked. 

Paul  evidently  found  this  youth,  now  grown  to  be  a 
young  man,  when  he  was  paying  the  quiet  visit  to  Jeru¬ 
salem  which  has  just  been  described.  Mark  was  a  cousin 
of  Barnabas  and  it  was  quite  natural  that  Paul  should 
meet  him  in  Jerusalem.  Recognizing  him  as  a  young  man 
of  courage  and  promise,  Paul  invited  him  to  come  to 
Antioch  as  his  helper.  Bidding  his  mother  and  his  friends 
good-by,  John  Mark  left  home  to  face  the  opportunities 
and  labors  of  a  promising  career. 

The;  Lesson  Prayer 

We  ask  thee,  our  Father  in  heaven,  to  give  us  an  under¬ 
standing  of  the  spiritual  truths  which  are  illustrated  in 
the  lesson  we  have  been  studying.  Show  us  how  to  work 
with  one  another  under  thy  guidance,  that  by  coopera¬ 
tion  we  may  build  up  thy  Kingdom  in  the  world.  Give 
us  that  sense  of  universal  brotherhood  and  that  spirit  of 
helpfulness  which  was  manifested  by  the  Christians  of 
Antioch.  Help  us  to  show  a  real  Christian  spirit  toward 
our  relatives  at  home,  toward  our  schoolmates,  and  to¬ 
ward  strangers  whom  we  may  meet.  Give  us  the  spirit 
of  true  courtesy  which  is  built  on  the  Golden  Rule.  For¬ 
give  us  for  being  carelessly  unkind.  We  ask  in  the  name 
of  Jesus.  Amen. 

Supplemental  Missionary  Story 

“The  Adventurous  Ship.” 

Heroes,”  page  65. 


“The  Book  of  Missionary 


98 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


EXPRESSION AL  SESSION 

THE  PLACE  OF  COOPERATION  IN  A  GREAT  AND 

USEFUL  LIFE 

I  Cor.  12:12-31;  ch.  13 

Our  Scripture  lesson  is  an  earnest  plea  for  Christian 
cooperation.  Paul  had  heard  that  the  members  of  the 
Christian  church  in  Corinth  were  not  cooperating  as  they 
should.  He  gave  a  striking  illustration  of  the  need  for 
cooperation  between  Christians.  He  said  that  all  who 
have  become  followers  of  Jesus  have  become  so  closely 
related  to  one  another  and  to  Jesus  that  they  are  like 
parts  of  one  body.  He  showed  how  the  different  parts 
of  the  body  help  one  another:  the  eye  helps  the  ear;  the 
hand  helps  the  foot.  If  one  member  of  the  body  suffers, 
the  other  members  suffer  with  it.  “The  eye  cannot  say 
to  the  hand,  I  have  no  need  of  thee :  or  again  the  head  to 
the  feet,  I  have  no  need  of  you.” 

Paul  told  the  Corinthians  that  in  becoming  followers 
of  Jesus  they  have  become  members  of  the  body  of  Christ 
and,  therefore,  members  one  of  another.  He  explained 
how  God  has  assigned  different  members  of  the  Church 
to  different  tasks  and  given  various  gifts  to  his  children 
so  that  they  may  be  helpers  to  one  another  and  make  the 
Church  strong  through  a  division  of  labor  and  a  constant 
cooperation. 

Paul  realized  that  Christian  love  was  the  great  essen¬ 
tial  for  Christian  cooperation  and  his  discussion  of  the 
matter  reached  a  climax  in  that  masterpiece  of  truth  and 
eloquence  which  is  recorded  in  the  thirteenth  chapter  of 
First  Corinthians.  The  real  cause  of  the  dissensions  in 
Corinth  was  a  lack  of  Christian  love. 

Some;  Truths  from  the  Lessons  We  Have 

Been  Studying 

Hearty  cooperation  between  the  members  of  the 
church  in  Antioch  made  that  church  great  and  strong. 

Paid  and  Barnabas  did  a  great  work  as  they  labored 
together  in  Antioch  because  they  knew  how  to  get  along 
well  with  each  other  and  with  the  members  of  the  church. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


99 


When  the  church  of  Antioch  sent  relief  to  Judea  it  was 
putting  into  practice  what  Jesus  had  taught  concerning 
cooperation. 

Cooperation  is  one  of  the  greatest  agencies  for  estab¬ 
lishing  God’s  Kingdom  in  the  world. 

The  missionary  enterprise  is  essentially  only  brotherly 
cooperation  on  a  world-wide  basis. 

Review  Questions 

1.  Tell  what  you  can  of  the  city  of  Antioch. 

2.  Why  did  Paul  and  Barnabas  make  a  specially 
strong  team  for  Christian  work? 

3.  Tell  of  the  progress  of  the  Antioch  church  under 
the  leadership  of  Paul  and  Barnabas. 

4.  How  did  the  followers  of  Jesus  come  to  be  called 
Christians? 

5.  Explain  the  parable  of  the  Leaven. 

6.  What  philanthropic  enterprise  was  undertaken  by 
the  church  in  Antioch? 

7.  Show  that  philanthropy  of  a  world-wide  kind  owes 
its  existence  to  the  teaching  of  Jesus. 

8.  Show  that  the  famine  relief  work  of  the  Antioch 
church  was  well  planned. 

9.  What  do  we  learn  concerning  the  disposition  of 
Paul  from  the  events  described  in  this  lesson? 

10.  Tell  what  you  can  of  the  career  of  John  Mark. 

Bibee  Verses 

Ecc.  4:9-12;  Lam.  3:27;  Matt.  11:29,  30;  18:20;  25:24- 
30;  Luke  14:25-35;  Rom.  8:28;  II  Cor.  1:11;  Gal.  6:1-5; 
James  5 :16. 

Study  Topics 

1.  People  with  Whom  Paul  Cooperated.  I.  Silas. 

2.  People  with  Whom  Paul  Cooperated.  II.  Timothy. 

3.  Women  with  Whom  Paul  Labored.  Phoebe.  Rom. 
16:1,  2. 

4.  The  Importance  of  Cooperation  in  Such  Athletic 
Sports  as  Football. 

5.  The  Need  for  Cooperation  in  the  Work  of  the 
Church.  (For  the  pastor.) 


100  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


6.  Cooperation  in  the  Natural  World.  (Relation  of 
bees  and  butterflies  to  flowers,  and  so  forth,  for  some 
pupil  Avho  is  specially  interested  in  the  subject  or  for 
some  older  person.) 

7.  Some  of  Paul’s  Words  Concerning  Cooperation. 
Phil.  4:2,  3;  I  Cor.  1:10-13. 

8.  Cooperation  in  the  Army.  (For  some  ex-service 
man.) 

9.  Is  Cooperation  Always  Possible  or  Desirable? 
TI  Cor.  6:14-18. 

10.  Ways  in  Which  Our  Class  Can  Cooperate  with 
Other  Classes  of  the  Church  School. 

The  Lesson  Truth  Expressed  in  a  Law 

The  Law  of  Cooperation.  Much  more  can  be  accom¬ 
plished  when  people  work  together  in  any  worthy  under¬ 
taking  than  when  they  all  work  independently  of  one 
another.  Therefore : 

1.  We  will  try  to  cooperate  with  our  parents  and 
other  relatives  in  an  effort  to  make  our  homes  truly 
Christian. 

2.  We  will  try  to  cooperate  with  our  day-school 
teachers  so  that  our  school  may  be  orderly,  efficient,  and 
happy. 

3.  We  will  try  to  cooperate  with  the  teachers  and 
officers  of  the  church  school  so  that  religious  instruction 
may  be  orderly,  reverent,  and  effective. 

Projects  eor  Putting  the  Lesson  Truths 

Into  Practice 

This  lesson  will  be  the  teacher’s  opportunity  to  em¬ 
phasize  the  need  of  cooperation  in  carrying  out  the  plans 
which  have  been  adopted  and  begun.  It  may  be  possible 
and  desirable  to  have  the  class  undertake  some  such 
matter  as  the  putting  on  of  a  public  entertainment  for  the 
adults  of  the  church.  If  other  classes  of  the  school  are 
asked  to  cooperate  in  the  undertaking,  it  will  be  more 
valuable  than  will  be  the  case  if  the  Intermediates  do  the 
work  alone. 


101 


CHAPTER  VIII 

EAUNCHING  OUT  ON  A  GREAT  ADVENTURE 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

AN  EVANGELISTIC  TOUR  THROUGH  THE  ISLAND 

OF  CYPRUS 

Acts  13  : 1  -1 3 

The  church  in  Antioch  had  now  grown  to  be  so  large 
that  it  had  many  prophets  and  teachers  besides  Paul  and 
Barnabas.  Several  of  these  leaders  are  named  in  the 
chapter  chosen  as  the  basis  of  this  lesson.  Some  of  these 
leaders  of  the  Antioch  church  were  members  of  distin¬ 
guished  families.  One  was  a  foster  brother  of  Herod 
the  tetrarch.  In  this  lesson  we  are  to  learn  how  the  first 
great  missionary  undertaking  of  the  Christian  Church 
was  set  in  motion  by  these  prophets  and  teachers  of  the 
church  in  Antioch. 

The  Holy  Spirit’s  Call  to  Paul  and  Barnabas.  Acts 
13:13.  The  prophets  and  teachers  of  the  church  in  Anti¬ 
och  as  they  ministered  to  the  people  and  worshiped  God 
with  prayer  and  fasting  were  told  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
set  apart  Paul  and  Barnabas  for  a  special  work  to  which 
God  had  appointed  them.  These  prophets  and  teachers 
may  have  been  longing  for  the  time  when  some  of  their 
number  could  launch  out  in  some  great  undertaking  for 
the  spread  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  over  the  world.  God 
usually  calls  people  to  great  undertakings  only  after  the 
people  chosen  for  the  work  have  become  deeply  interested 
in  it  and  have  longed  and  prayed  for  the  opportunity 
which  he  gives  to  them.  We  have  seen  how  Paul  had 
long  cherished  the  hope  that  he  might  do  a  g*reat  work 
among  the  Gentiles.  We  have  seen  how  great  an  interest 
the  church  of  Antioch  took  in  winning  Gentiles  to  Chris¬ 
tianity.  So  we  may  believe  that  when  God’s  Spirit  re¬ 
vealed  to  the  prophets  and  teachers  of  the  Antioch 
church  the  fact  that  the  time  had  come  for  a  greater 

102 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  103 

missionary  undertaking  than  they  had  yet  carried  on,  the 
revelation  was  glad  news  to  them. 

The  First  Foreign  Missionaries  Ordained.  Paul  and 
Barnabas  were  set  apart  by  what  must  have  been  an 
impressive  religious  service  to  the  missionary  work  which 
God  assigned  them.  The  prophets  and  teachers  of  the 
church  prepared  for  this  service  by  fasting.  It  is  prob¬ 
able  that  the  service  was  public  and  the  whole  church 
assembled  for  this  important  event.  Having  offered 
prayer,  the  prophets  and  teachers  of  the  church  laid  their 
hands  upon  Paul’s  head  and  upon  the  head  of  Barnabas 
thus  commending  them  to  God’s  care  and  dedicating 
them  to  the  sublime  task  of  preaching  Christ  in  distant 
lands. 

There  may  have  been  some  farewell  gathering  at  which 
the  people  of  the  church  bade  Paul  and  Barnabas 
good-by.  Some  such  formal  parting  would  seem  to  be 
implied  in  the  phrase,  “They  sent  them  away.”  Paul  and 
Barnabas  probably  talked  over  their  plans  together,  but 
they  were  also  praying  continually  to  God  for  guidance 
and  did  not  know  just  where  and  how  far  he  would  lead 
them.  They  came  down  to  the  coast  and  having  come 
to  the  city  of  Seleucia  they  went  on  board  a  ship  which 
was  ready  to  sail  for  an  island  lying  in  the  northeastern 
part  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea. 

The  Island  of  Cyprus.  The  island  to  which  Paul  and 
Barnabas  sailed  is  called  Cyprus.  It  lies  some  forty 
miles  from  the  coast  of  Cilicia.  The  name  Cyprus  is 
from  a  Greek  word  which  means  copper.  It  was  given 
to  the  island  by  the  Greeks  at  an  early  date  because  there 
were  rich  copper  mines  in  the  mountains  of  the  island. 
Cyprus  was  the  birthplace  of  Barnabas,  so  the  two  mis¬ 
sionaries  and  their  companions  were  beginning  their 
work  in  a  region  where  Barnabas,  at  least,  had  a  good 
many  acquaintances.  The  Christian  religion  had  reached 
Cyprus  some  years  before  Paul  and  Barnabas  landed 
there.  During  the  persecutions  which  followed  the  death 
of  Stephen,  some  of  the  Christians  of  Jerusalem  fled  to 
Cyprus,  possibly  because  there  were  already  other  Chris¬ 
tians  there  in  whose  homes  the  refugees  found  safety. 
Christians  from  the  island  had  taken  part  in  the  preach- 


104  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


in g  in  Antioch  which  led  to  the  rapid  development  of  the 
church  which  was  in  that  city.  So  the  missionaries  were 
not  beginning  their  work  in  a  country  where  Christianity 
was  wholly  unknown.  They  were,  however,  entering 
upon  the  first  organized  evangelizing  campaign  ever  car¬ 
ried  on  there  so  far  as  we  know. 

The  Gospel  Proclaimed  Throughout  the  Island.  Acts 
13:4-12.  Landing  at  Salamis  on  the  eastern  side  of  the 
island,  Paul  and  his  companions  began  their  work  by 
entering  the  Jewish  synagogues  and  preaching  there  that 
Jesus  is  the  Messiah  whom  the  Jews  had  so  long  ex¬ 
pected.  This  became  Paul’s  established  custom.  When¬ 
ever  he  entered  a  city  he  began  his  work  there  by  preach¬ 
ing  in  the  synagogue  if  there  was  a  synagogue  in  the 
place.  He  evidently  wished  to  be  perfectly  fair  to  his 
fellow  countrymen.  He  wished  to  give  them  the  first 
chance  to  accept  Jesus  as  the  Messiah.  Usually  he  was 
excluded  from  the  synagogue  within  a  short  time.  When 
this  occurred,  he  would  go  to  the  Gentiles. 

So  far  as  we  are  told,  Paul  and  his  companions  were 
not  excluded  from  any  of  the  synagogues  in  Cyprus.  It 
may  be  that  they  did  not  stay  long  enough  in  any  one 
place  to  allow  the  opposition  to  them  to  develop  to  the 
point  where  the  synagogues  would  be  closed  against 
them.  The  journey  through  the  island  seems  to  have 
been  rapid.  It  was  evidently  the  intention  of  Paul  and 
Barnabas  to  reach  as  many  places  as  possible  with  a 
brief  proclamation  of  the  gospel.  Possibly  they  had  plans 
for  a  second  trip  to  the  island  for  the  purpose  of  organ¬ 
izing  the  work  more  thoroughly.  They  passed  through 
the  entire  length  of  the  island,  finally  reaching  Paphos  on 
the  west  coast. 

The  Governor  of  the  Island  Converted.  We  are  not 

told  much  concerning  the  success  of  the  missionary 
journey  through  Cyprus.  One  notable  conversion,  how¬ 
ever,  is  recorded  with  some  detail.  Cyprus  was  at  that 
time  governed  by  a  Roman  official  called  a  proconsul. 
The  name  of  this  proconsul,  or  governor,  was  Sergius 
Paulus.  He  lived  in  Paphos,  so  that  was  probably  the 
capital  of  the  island.  This  governor  was  a  man  of  learn¬ 
ing  and  culture.  He  heard  about  Paul  and  Silas  and 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


105 


invited  them  to  come  to  his  residence  and  tell  him  about 
the  new  faith  which  they  were  preaching*.  Sergius 
Paulus  may  have  been  a  believer  in  the  God  of  the  Jews, 
for  he  had  with  him  a  certain  Jew  who  bore  the  name  of 
Elymas  and  who  was  considered  to  be  a  very  wise  man. 
Elymas  was  really  an  impostor,  but  he  was  evidently  so 
cunning  that  the  Roman  governor  had  not  yet  detected 
his  true  character. 

When  Elymas  learned  that  Paul  and  Barnabas  were 
telling  the  governor  about  Jesus  and  the  new  religion 
which  Jesus  had  taught,  he  became  jealous.  He  feared 
that  these  newcomers  would  displace  him  in  the  esteem 
and  favor  of  the  governor.  So  Elymas  began  to  dispute 
what  Paul  and  Barnabas  said.  He  tried  to  persuade  the 
governor  that  the  things  the  missionaries  taught  were 
untrue.  Paul  was  not  a  man  to  be  easily  defeated  in 
such  a  conflict  as  Elymas  had  seen  fit  to  begin.  We  are 
told  that  Paul  “fastened  his  eyes  on  him,  and  said,  O  full 
of  all  guile  and  all  villany,  thou  son  of  the  devil,  thou 
enemy  of  all  righteousness,  wilt  thou  not  cease  to  pervert 
the  right  ways  of  the  Lord?  And  now,  behold,  the  hand 
of  the  Lord  is  upon  thee,  and  thou  shalt  be  blind,  not 
seeing  the  sun  for  a  season.”  Hearing  this  stern  denun¬ 
ciation,  Elymas  was,  indeed,  stricken  with  a  partial 
blindness  and  he  went  about  seeking  some  one  to  lead 
him  by  the  hand.  Astonished  at  this  exhibition  of  mys¬ 
terious  power,  Sergius  Paulus  believed  the  message  of 
Paul  and  Barnabas  and  proclaimed  himself  a  Christian. 

John  Mark  Goes  Back  to  Jerusalem.  Acts  13:13.  At 
Paphos,  Paul  and  his  companions  again  took  ship.  Sail¬ 
ing  northwestward  they  came  to  the  city  of  Perga  on  the 
coast  of  Pamphylia.  Here  John  Mark  left  his  companions 
and  returned  to  Jerusalem.  We  are  not  told  why  John 
Mark  went  back  to  his  home.  We  know,  however,  that 
Paul  did  not  approve  of  his  doing  so,  for  a  little  later  he 
showed  that  he  had  made  up  his  mind  not  to  take  John 
Mark  on  another  such  undertaking.  Evidently  Paul  did 
not  give  his  consent  to  any  such  action  on  John  Mark’s 
part.  Possibly  he  had  no  idea  that  John  Mark  had  any 
such  notion  and  was  surprised  when  he  found  the  young 
man  gone. 


106  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


The  fact  that  John  Mark  did  not  simply  return  to 
Antioch  and  resume  his  work  in  the  church  there,  but 
went  all  the  way  back  to  Jerusalem,  would  seem  to 
indicate  that  he  had  resolved  not  only  to  cut  short  the 
missionary  journey  which  he  had  begun,  but  was  minded 
to  sever  entirely  his  connection  with  Paul  and  Barnabas. 
John  was  young  and  had  in  all  probability  never  been 
long  away  from  home.  It  may  be  that  he  was  just  home¬ 
sick.  It  is  also  possible  that  he  was  dismayed  at  the 
new  venture  upon  which  the  company  was  entering.  Paul 
was  planning  to  cross  the  mountains  which  lie  north  of 
Perga  that  he  might  penetrate  to  the  regions  lying  be¬ 
yond.  Thus  far  the  missionaries  had  labored  in  a  land 
where  Barnabas,  at  least,  was  acquainted  and  where 
there  were  some  Christian  people.  Now  they  were  going 
into  a  little-known  region  where  the  gospel  had  never 
been  preached.  The  mountain  passes  back  of  Perga  were 
full  of  robber  bands  and  the  missionaries  were  facing 
real  danger  in  trying  to  reach  the  region  which  lay  beyond 
them. 

It  may  be  that  motives  even  less  worthy  than  those 
we  have  mentioned  prompted  John  Mark  to  give  up  the 
undertaking.  He  may  have  felt  that  Paul  was  taking  the 
leadership  too  much  upon  himself  and  slighting  Bar¬ 
nabas.  It  may  be  that  he  was  not  in  sympathy  with 
Paul’s  policy  of  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles  in 
the  same  way  that  he  preached  it  to  Jews.  At  all  events, 
Mark  went  back  home,  but  Paul  and  Barnabas  set  their 
faces  toward  the  lands  beyond  the  mountains. 

Suggestions  for  Notebook  Work 

Mark  out  on  the  notebook  maps  the  route  of  the  mis¬ 
sionary  party  from  Antioch  to  Seleucia,  across  the  sea  to 
Salamis,  through  the  island  of  Cyprus  to  Paphos,  and 
over  the  sea  to  Perga.  Have  some  pupil  write  a  letter 
such  as  Barnabas  would  have  written  to  John  Mark  after 
the  latter  had  returned  to  Jerusalem.  Have  some  other 
pupil  write  a  letter  such  as  John  Mark  might  have  written 
to  his  mother  from  Perga  just  before  he  started  home. 
Picture:  Elymas  Struck  with  Blindness,  No.  461. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  10/ 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

PENETRATING  INTO  THE  INTERIOR  OF  ASIA  MINOR 

Acts  13:14-52;  Gal.  4:13-15 

Apparently  Paul  and  Barnabas  did  not  stop  long  in 
Perga.  It  may  be  that  they  did  not  preach  there  at  all 
on  their  outward  journey  since  we  shall  see  that  they 
paused  there  on  their  homeward  journey  and  preached 
for  a  while.  Perga  had  an  unhealthful  climate  and  mala¬ 
rial  fever  raged  there  in  the  summer  season.  This  may 
be  the  reason  why  the  missionaries  hastened  on  across 
the  mountains  to  other  fields. 

Preaching  Christ  in  Antioch  of  Pisidia.  Acts  13  :14-41. 
The  first  city  which  the  missionaries  reached  after  cross¬ 
ing  the  mountains  north  of  Perga  bore  the  same  name 
as  the  city  from  which  Paul  and  Barnabas  had  begun 
their  journey.  To  distinguish  it  from  the  Antioch  which 
was  in  Syria,  the  city  to  which  the  missionaries  had  now 
come  was  called  “Antioch  of  Pisidia”  because  it  was 
located  near  a  province  known  by  that  name.  It  was  on 
the  royal  Roman  road  built  by  the  emperor,  Augustus 
Caesar,  and  was  a  city  of  importance.  The  missionaries 
had  now  come  into  a  region  where  the  Christian  religion 
was  entirely  unknown,  though  there  were  a  good  many 
Jews  dwelling  in  the  cities  scattered  over  that  section 
just  as  there  were  Jews  almost  everywhere  within  the 
limits  of  the  Roman  Empire. 

Paul  Suffers  from  Some  Severe  Physical  Affliction. 
Gal.  4:13-15.  Paul  was  suffering  from  some  bodily  ail¬ 
ment  when  he  reached  Antioch  of  Pisidia.  We  do  not 
know  just  what  the  trouble  was,  but  in  writing  to  the 
churches  of  Galatia  some  years  later  Paul  mentioned  the 
fact  that  he  preached  the  gospel  there  “because  of  an 
infirmity  of  the  flesh.”  The  church  in  Antioch  is  now 
believed  by  many  New  Testament  scholars  to  be  one  of 
the  churches  of  Galatia  to  which  Paul  wrote.  It  would 
seem  from  Paul’s  words  in  his  letter  that  he  had  either 
fled  to  Antioch  because  he  was  ill  and  the  climate  of 
Perga  was  unfavorable  to  a  recovery  or  that  he  had  in¬ 
tended  to  hasten  on  through  Antioch  but  stopped  there 
because  he  was  not  in  fit  physical  condition  to  go  farther. 


108  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


We  may  have  some  hint  as  to  the  nature  of  his  affliction 
in  the  words  which  Paul  wrote  to  the  Galatian  Christians. 
He  gratefully  recalled  how  these  people  did  not  despise 
him  or  reject  him  because  of  his  physical  condition.  He 
remarked  that  instead  of  rejecting  him  they  received  him 
as  an  angel  of  God.  Moreover,  he  wrote,  “I  bear  you 
witness,  that,  if  possible,  ye  would  have  plucked  out  your 
eyes  and  given  them  to  me.”  Many  Bible  students  be¬ 
lieve,  from  this  remark  of  Paul,  that  when  he  entered 
Antioch  he  was  suffering  from  some  trouble  with  his  eyes. 
An  eye  disease  known  as  ophthalmia  is  very  common  in 
the  Orient  and  it  sometimes  fearfully  disfigures  the  face 
of  the  person  afflicted. 

Paul  and  Barnabas  Seek  the  Synagogue  on  the  Sabbath 
Day.  Paul’s  physical  affliction  did  not  prevent  his  going 
to  the  synagogue  the  first  Sabbath  he  was  in  Antioch. 
Total  strangers  to  everyone,  the  two  missionaries  entered 
the  place  of  worship  and  sat  down  with  the  congregation 
there  assembled.  After  the  reading*  of  the  Law  and  the 
other  parts  of  the  service  were  over,  the  rulers  of  the 
synagogue  very  courteously  turned  to  their  visitors  and 
said,  “Brethren,  if  ye  have  any  word  of  exhortation  for 
the  people,  say  on.”  This  was  a  courtesy  customarily 
shown  to  visitors  who  happened  to  be  in  the  synagogue 
service.  It  may  be  that  the  rulers  of  the  synagogue  sus¬ 
pected  that  Paul  and  Barnabas  were  wandering  rabbis. 
Their  general  appearance  may  have  suggested  as  much. 

Paul  Preaches  Christ  in  the  Synagogue.  Having  re¬ 
ceived  this  invitation,  Paul  stood  up  and,  beckoning  with 
his  hand,  he  caught  the  attention  of  the  congregation  at 
once.  We  have  a  brief  report  of  his  sermon  and  know 
that  it  must  have  been  a  powerful  setting  forth  of  Jesus 
as  the  expected  Messiah  and  the  Saviour  of  the  world. 
He  reviewed  God’s  dealings  with  the  children  of  Israel, 
showing  how  they  had  been  delivered  out  of  the  bondage 
of  Egypt  and  led  through  the  perils  of  the  wilderness. 
He  recounted  how  God  had  given  the  Israelites  a  king 
in  answer  to  their  wishes  and  how  he  had  raised  up  David 
to  be  their  great  ruler.  From  this  point  Paul  began  to 
explain  how  God  had  fulfilled  his  promises  made  to 
David.  He  told  of  the  preaching  of  John  the  Baptist  and 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


109 


his  testimony  concerning  the  One  who  should  come  after 
him.  Then  he  told  of  Jesus  who  had  come  just  as  John 
had  foretold,  but  who  had  been  rejected  by  the  Jewish 
leaders  in  Jerusalem.  He  told  of  the  arrest  of  Jesus,  of 
his  trial  before  Pilate,  of  his  crucifixion,  and  of  his  burial. 
Then  he  proclaimed  to  them  the  resurrection.  He  told 
them  that  Jesus  had  been  seen  alive  many  days  by  his 
followers.  He  showed  how  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  was 
a  fulfillment  of  prophecy.  Paul  closed  his  sermon  with 
an  invitation  to  all  his  hearers  to  accept  Jesus  as  the  Mes¬ 
siah  and  to  find  forgiveness  through  him  as  vSaviour. 
“Be  it  known  unto  you  therefore,  brethren,  that  through 
this  man  is  proclaimed  unto  you  remission  of  sins :  and 
by  him  every  one  that  believeth  is  justified  from  all 
things,  from  which  ye  could  not  be  justified  by  the  law 
of  Moses.” 


Effects  of  the  Sermon.  Acts  13  :42-44.  This  brief  out¬ 
line  of  Paul’s  sermon  shows  us  that  he  was  a  great 
preacher.  It  is  well  worth  our  study  because  it  is  prob¬ 
ably  a  good  illustration  of  the  kind  of  preaching  Paul  did 
wherever  he  went.  We  need  not  be  surprised  to  find 
that  the  sermon  produced  a  profound  impression.  Many 
of  the  people  who  had  heard  the  sermon  came  to  Paul 
saying  that  they  hoped  the  same  words  “might  be  spoken 
to  them  the  next  sabbath.”  When  the  service  broke  up, 


110  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


many  people  came  about  Paul  and  Barnabas,  telling  them 
that  they  believed  that  Jesus  was,  indeed,  the  Messiah. 
Among  these  confessors  were  both  Jews  and  proselytes, 
that  is,  Gentiles  who  had  accepted  the  religion  of  the 
Jews.  During  the  week  news  of  this  wonderful  sermon 
spread  far  and  wide.  Paul  and  Barnabas  were  doubtless 
busy  throughout  the  week  teaching  and  visiting  and  pro¬ 
claiming  the  gospel  wherever  they  were.  So  the  next 
Sabbath  a  vast  multitude  gathered  at  the  synagogue. 
Luke  says,  “Almost  the  whole  city  was  gathered  together 
to  hear  the  word  of  God.” 

Opposition  Born  of  Jealousy.  Acts  13:45-48.  A  splen¬ 
did  start  had  been  made  toward  the  conversion  of  the 
whole  city  to  Christianity,  but  opposition  soon  arose  to 
hinder  the  progress  of  the  revival.  It  often  happens  that 
when  much  good  is  being  accomplished,  evil  forthwith 
appears  to  oppose  the  good.  It  was  thus  in  Antioch. 
The  opposition  was  born  in  that  deplorably  mean  feeling 
which  we  call  jealousy.  The  leaders  of  the  synagogue 
saw  the  multitudes  which  came  to  hear  Paul  preach. 
They  saw  many  coming  to  Paul  and  Barnabas  and  telling 
them  that  they  believed  what  they  said  and  that  they 
hoped  they  would  keep  on  teaching  and  preaching  these 
same  things.  The  leaders  of  the  synagogue  began  to 
wonder  what  effect  these  remarkable  events  were  going 
to  have  on  them.  For  years  they  had  taught  in  the 
synagogue  and  no  such  crowds  had  come  to  hear 
them  speak.  They  began  to  dislike  Paul  and  Bar¬ 
nabas  without  any  cause  except  the  mean  jealousy  which 
was  in  their  own  hearts.  They  began  to  find  fault  with 
them  and  to  deny  publicly  the  things  which  Paul  and 
Barnabas  taught.  Luke  says  that  they  blasphemed.  He 
probably  means  that  they  denied  that  Jesus  is  the  Mes¬ 
siah  and  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  So  dreadful  a  thing 
is  jealousy  that  it  can  blind  the  eyes  so  that  they  cannot 
see  the  beauty  in  the  life  and  character  of  Jesus.  It  can 
stop  the  ears  so  that  they  cannot  hear  the  truth  as  it  is 
proclaimed  in  the  teachings  of  Jesus. 

Paul  and  Barnabas  Turn  to  the  Gentiles.  The  oppo¬ 
sition  of  the  Jewish  leaders  soon  made  it  impossible  for 
Paul  and  Barnabas  to  speak  any  longer  in  the  synagogue. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


111 


They  faced  their  opponents  courageously  and  told  them 
the  plain  truth.  They  told  them  that  it  was  necessary 
that  the  word  of  God  should  first  be  spoken  to  them  for 
they  were  the  chosen  people,  but  that  since  the  Jews  had 
rejected  it  and  shown  themselves  unworthy  of  eternal 
life,  they  would  now  turn  to  the  Gentiles.  Paul  and  Bar¬ 
nabas  were  able  to  quote  Old  Testament  passages  which 
proved  these  statements.  When  the  Gentiles  heard  that 
Paul  and  Barnabas  proposed  to  keep  right  on  preaching 
to  them  even  though  the  Jews  had  closed  the  synagogue 
against  them,  they  were  glad. 

Cast  Out  of  the  City.  Acts  13:49-52.  So  Paul  and 
Barnabas  continued  to  preach  to  the  Gentiles,  and  with 
effect,  for  we  are  told  that  “the  word  of  the  Lord  was 
spread  abroad  throughout  all  the  region.”  The  Jews  now 
had  no  reasonable  cause  for  complaint,  since  Paul  and 
Barnabas  were  not  preaching  to  any  of  the  members  of 
the  synagogue,  but  only  to  the  Gentiles.  Jealousy  is 
never  reasonable,  however,  and  the  Jewish  leaders  were 
determined  to  put  a  stop  to  the  whole  movement.  They 
had  influence  with  certain  prominent  women  in  the  city 
and  with  the  city  officials.  They  used  this  influence  to 
arouse  prejudice  against  the  missionaries.  They  doubt¬ 
less  persuaded  the  city  officials  that  Paul  and  Barnabas 
were  trouble  makers  from  distant  lands  and  that  it  would 
be  a  good  thing  to  drive  them  away.  So  the  missionaries 
were  seized  and  taken  outside  the  city  limits  and  told  to 
depart.  There  was  no  use  wasting  further  time  and  run¬ 
ning  risks  of  being  killed  in  Antioch  when  other  fruitful 
fields  were  awaiting  them,  so  the  missionaries  left  Antioch. 
We  are  told  that  “they  shook  off  the  dust  of  their  feet 
against  them,  and  came  unto  Iconium.”  They  were  not 
discouraged.  They  were  happy  because  they  had  accom¬ 
plished  a  great  deal  in  Antioch.  They  believed  they  had 
sown  seed  which  would  in  due  time  bear  an  abundant 
harvest. 

The:  Lesson  Prayer 

We  thank  thee,  our  Father  in  heaven,  for  the  heroic 
venturesomeness  of  thy  servants,  the  missionaries  of  past 
centuries,  who  planted  the  Christian  faith  in  pagan  lands. 
Teach  us  to  be  courageous  in  the  service  of  the  right. 


112  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Help  us  to  be  true  to  our  faith  in  all  places  and  at  all 
times.  Forgive  us  if  we  have  ever  acted  as  though  we 
were  ashamed  of  the  name  of  Jesus.  We  ask  in  his  name. 
Amen. 

Supplemental  Missionary  Story 

“The  Boy  of  the  Adventurous  Heart.”  “The  Book  of 
Missionary  Heroes,”  page  113. 


EXPRESSION AL  SESSION 

THE  PLACE  OF  HEROIC  VENTURESOMENESS  IN  A 

GREAT  AND  USEFUL  LIFE 

Mark  10:17-22 

In  our  Scripture  lesson  we  catch  a  glimpse  of  a  young 
man  of  most  excellent  character  who  might  have  become 
a  disciple  of  Jesus,  but  who  did  not  because  he  lacked 
that  spirit  of  noble  venturesomeness  which  is  willing  to 
risk  all  for  a  great  cause.  This  young  man  came  to  Jesus 
in  all  sincerity.  His  question  was  not  a  cunningly  de¬ 
vised  trap  intended  to  catch  Jesus  in  some  utterance 
which  might  become  a  ground  for  a  charge  of  heresy. 
He  was  not  like  the  scribes  and  Pharisees  who  were 
blinded  by  prejudice  and  filled  with  jealousy.  He  was 
honestly  seeking  for  a  higher  way  of  life.  But  when 
Jesus  pointed  out  the  pathway  to  higher  things,  he  hesi¬ 
tated.  The  way  that  Jesus  indicated  meant  the  loss  of 
property,  for  Jesus  said,  “Go,  sell  whatsoever  thou  hast, 
and  give  to  the  poor.”  Perhaps  it  was  not  merely  the 
love  of  property  that  caused  the  young  man  to  go  away 
sorrowful.  It  may  have  been  rather  the  dread  of  the 
unknown  circumstances  which  faced  him  in  a  kind  of 
life  such  as  he  had  never  known.  He  had  been  reared  in 
luxury.  He  had  never  known  anything  else.  To  enter 
courageously  into  a  kind  of  living  where  he  owned  no 
property  required  a  heroic  venturesomeness  beyond  that 
which  he  could  muster.  To  cut  loose  from  that  which  is 
tried  and  familiar  and  launch  out  into  the  unknown  calls 
for  a  high  type  of  courage.  It  requires  the  kind  of 
courage  David  Livingstone  had  when  he  plunged  into 
the  forests  of  Central  Africa,  severing  his  communica¬ 
tions  with  the  outside  world.  It  requires  the  kind  of 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  113 


courage  Moses  had  when  he  turned  away  from  the  palaces 
of  Egypt  to  become  the  leader  and  champion  of  a  nation 
of  slaves  in  their  struggle  for  freedom. 

Some  Truths  from  the  Lessons  We  Have 

Been  Studying 

The  church  at  Antioch  had  a  spirit  of  noble  venture¬ 
someness.  It  was  willing  to  send  out  its  leaders  to  other 
lands  that  the  gospel  might  be  preached  among  those 
who  had  never  heard  of  Jesus. 

It  may  be  that  Mark’s  spirit  of  venturesomeness  failed 
as  a  result  of  the  hardships  he  encountered  and  because 
of  the  prospects  of  greater  dangers  ahead.  Noble  ven¬ 
turesomeness  must  be  persevering.  It  is  something  more 
than  a  sudden  burst  of  enthusiasm  which  dies  down  as 
quickly  as  it  rises. 

The  truly  courageous  Christian  will  not  stir  up  trouble 
unnecessarily ;  neither  will  he  allow  the  cause  of  Christ 
to  suffer  rather  than  arouse  opposition  and  strife.  Paul 
did  not  wish  to  cause  trouble  in  the  synagogue  at  Anti¬ 
och  of  Pisidia,  but  it  was  a  choice  between  arousing  the 
opposition  of  the  Jewish  leaders  and  keeping  quiet  about 
Jesus  as  the  Messiah  and  Saviour.  Paul  was  venture¬ 
some  enough  to  awaken  bitter  opposition  if  it  must  come 
as  a  necessary  result  of  preaching  the  whole  gospel. 

Review  Questions 

1.  Name  some  of  the  teachers  and  prophets  of  the 
church  in  Antioch. 

2.  Tell  of  the  ordaining  of  the  first  missionaries. 

3.  Where  did  the  missionaries  begin  their  work? 

4.  What  results  were  attained  in  the  first  field  where 
the  missionaries  labored?  See  Acts  15:36. 

5.  Why  do  you  think  John  Mark  went  back  home? 

6.  Tell  of  the  first  meeting  the  missionaries  attended 
in  Antioch  of  Pisidia. 

7.  Why  did  some  of  the  Jews  oppose  Paul  and 
Barnabas  ? 

8.  What  did  Paul  do  after  the  synagogue  was  closed 
against  him? 


114  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


9.  How  did  the  sojourn  in  Antioch  of  Pisidia  come 
to  an  end? 

10.  What  events  of  Paul’s  life  show  that  he  was  nobly 
venturesome  ? 

Bibee  Verses 

Ex.  3:10;  Josh.  1:2;  Ps.  91:1-7;  Isa.  6:8;  Jer.  1:6,  7; 
Matt.  4:18-22;  6:19-21;  28:19,  20;  I  Cor.  16:13;  Heb.  11:8. 

Study  Topics 

1.  Abraham,  a  Man  of  Heroic  Venturesomeness.  Gen. 
12:1-9. 

2.  The  Adventurous  Task  of  Moses. 

3.  Foreign  Missions  a  Challenge  to  Heroic  Venture¬ 
someness. 

4.  The  Pilgrims  of  Plymouth  and  Their  Spirit  of 
Heroic  Wnturesomeness. 

5.  God’s  Rewards  for  Those  Who  are  Willing  to  Risk 
All  for  Him. 

6.  Esther  Risks  Her  Life  to  Save  Her  Countrymen. 
Esth.  4:13-17. 

7.  The  Venturesomeness  of  a  Great  Reformer.  (Read 
about  John  Huss  in  some  Church  History.) 

8.  The  Venturesomeness  of  a  Great  Arctic  Explorer. 
(Read  “The  Friendly  Arctic,”  by  Stefansson.) 

9.  “A  Message  to  Garcia.”  (See  booklet  with  this 
title  by  Elbert  Hubbard.) 

10.  The  Difference  Between  Foolhardiness  and  Heroic 
Venturesomeness. 

The  Lesson  Truth  Expressed  in  a  Law 

The  Law  of  Heroic  Venturesomeness.  Great  men  and 
women  have  followed  God’s  leadership  even  when  to 
do  so  involved  great  risks.  Therefore : 

1.  We  will  try  to  find  out  what  God  would  have  us 
do,  and  when  we  are  sure  as  to  his  work  for  us,  we  will 
not  be  turned  away  from  the  task  he  gives,  even  though 
fidelity  to  it  may  mean  losses  for  ourselves. 

2.  We  will  try  to  think  always  of  the  establishment 
of  God’s  Kingdom  on  earth  as  one  of  the  goals  which 
every  individual  ought  to  help  the  world  to  attain. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  115 


3.  We  will  seek  to  cultivate  that  courage  which  is  not 
afraid  of  ridicule  or  personal  discomfort,  but  which  under¬ 
takes  great  tasks  for  God  and  humanity. 

Projects  tor  Putting  the  Lesson  Truths 

Into  Practice 

The  teacher  who  goes  into  the  out  of  doors  with  her 
class  will  have  many  opportunities  to  impress  upon  her 
pupils  the  difference  between  foolhardiness  and  heroic 
venturesomeness.  The  boys  of  the  class  will  probably 
propose  some  such  feat  for  themselves  as  walking  along 
the  top  girders  of  a  bridge  high  above  the  water.  This 
will  give  an  opportuunity  to  explain  the  nature  of  true 
courage.  The  teacher  may  be  able  to  put  renewed  zeal 
into  some  project  already  under  way  by  leading  the  pupils 
to  look  upon  the  undertaking  as  their  adventure  for  the 
Church.  In  such  a  work  as  the  partial  support  of  a  mis¬ 
sionary  among  the  Navajo  Indians,  the  class  would  be 
entering  a  real  adventure  for  the  Kingdom  of  God.  They 
would  be  putting  their  money  and  their  time  into  the 
enterprise  because  they  had  faith  in  the  Christian  religion 
and  in  God.  These  are  the  elements  of  character  which 
give  heroic  venturesomeness  for  great  undertakings  in 
maturer  years. 


CHAPTER  IX 

FURTHER  WORK  IN  ASIA  MINOR  AND  THE 
HOMEWARD  JOURNEY 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

PUSHING  ON  INTO  NEW  FIELDS 
Acts  14 : 1  -20 

When  Paul  and  Barnabas  were  driven  from  Antioch, 
they  struck  out  toward  the  southeast  following  the  great 
Roman  highway  that  led  to  a  city  called  Iconium.  The 
country  over  which  they  traveled  is  a  vast  and  high 
table-land  more  than  three  thousand  feet  above  the  sea. 
It  is  waterless  for  the  most  part  but  the  city  of  Iconium 
lies  in  a  kind  of  oasis  near  the  center  of  the  region.  It 
is  some  eighty  miles  from  Antioch  to  Iconium  and  the 
missionaries  probably  walked  the  entire  distance,  Mop¬ 
ping  to  tell  the  gospel  story  whenever  they  had  the 
opportunity. 

Great  Success  and  Great  Opposition  in  Iconium.  Acts 
14:1-7.  When  the  missionaries  reached  Iconium,  they 
did  just  as  they  had  done  in  Antioch.  They  entered  the 
synagogue  of  the  Jews  and  when  they  were  given  an 
opportunity  to  speak  they  told  the  people  about  Jesus 
and  the  resurrection.  The  preaching  of  the  gospel  was 
even  more  successful  in  winning  converts  in  Iconium 
than  had  been  the  case  in  Antioch.  Luke  says  that  “a 
great  multitude  both  of  Jews  and  of  Greeks  believed.” 

Opposition  to  the  missionaries  quickly  developed.  The 
Jewish  leaders  sought  to  turn  the  Gentiles  against  the  mis¬ 
sionaries.  They  were  able  to  gain  the  support  of  the 
city  officials  just  as  the  Jews  of  Antioch  had  done.  The 
apostles  kept  right  on  with  their  preaching  even  though 
the  synagogue  was  closed  against  them.  They  won  so 
many  disciples  that  the  city  was  pretty  equally  divided 
between  those  who  took  the  side  of  the  Jews  and  those 
who  took  the  side  of  the  apostles. 

116 


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PAUL  AT  LYSTRA 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  117 


The  whole  city  was  thus  thrown  into  a  turmoil.  The 
Jews  persuaded  the  city  officials  that  the  apostles  were 
trouble  makers,  telling  them  that  everything  had  been 
peaceful  in  the  city  before  these  wandering  teachers  of  a 
false  religion  made  their  appearance  in  Iconium.  Paul 
and  Barnabas  were  in  constant  danger  of  mob  violence 
as  they  went  about  their  work.  The  apostles  finally 
learned  of  a  conspiracy  to  seize  them  and  stone  them  to 
death.  Both  Jews  and  Gentiles  were  in  the  plot  and  they 
had  the  backing  of  the  city  officers.  We  may  be  sure 
that  neither  Paul  nor  Barnabas  would  have  fled  if  they 
had  believed  that  God  wished  them  to  stay  longer  in 
Iconium.  They  would  have  trusted  in  God  to  protect 
them  or  would  have  laid  down  their  lives  then  and  there 
for  the  religion  of  Jesus.  But  things  were  now  in  such  an 
uproar  that  there  seemed  to  be  little  opportunity  to  do 
more  in  Iconium  for  the  present.  So  Paul  and  Barnabas 
fled  from  the  city. 

Turning  to  the  southwest  the  missionaries  made  a 
journey  of  eighteen  miles  to  Lystra.  Since  there  is  no 
mention  of  a  synagogue  in  Lystra,  we  may  believe  that 
there  were  few  Jews  in  the  city.  Perhaps  there  were 
none  at  all.  For  the  first  time,  then,  the  missionaries 
were  entering  among  a  purely  pagan  people  to  begin  an 
evangelistic  campaign. 

Taken  for  Gods  in  Lystra.  Acts  14:8-18.  When  Paul 
and  Barnabas  came  into  Lystra,  they  began  to  preach  in 
the  street.  Among  the  crowd  that  gathered  around  was 
a  poor  crippled  man  who  had  crawled  up  to  hear  what 
these  strangers  were  saying.  He  had  been  a  cripple  from 
his  birth  and  had  never  walked  in  his  life.  Paul  watched 
the  face  of  this  cripple  as  he  told  of  Jesus  and  the  miracles 
of  healing  which  Jesus  had  wrought  in  Palestine.  When 
he  saw  by  the  face  of  the  cripple  that  this  one  man  at 
least  believed  the  message  concerning  Jesus,  Paul  said 
to  him  in  a  loud  voice,  “Stand  upright  on  thy  feet.” 
When  the  multitudes  saw  that  the  man  had  indeed  risen 
to  his  feet  and  could  walk,  they  were  so  amazed  that  they 
said  among  themselves,  “The  gods  are  come  down  to  us 
in  the  likeness  of  men.”  They  called  Barnabas  Jupiter, 
and  Paul  they  called  Mercury.  These  two  of  the  gods 


118  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


they  worshiped  they  believed  had  now  appeared  as  men 
among  them. 

Summoning  their  priest  from  the  temple  of  Jupiter,  the 
people  prepared  to  offer  sacrifices  to  Paul  and  Barnabas. 
They  brought  oxen  and  garlands  of  flowers  and  were 
getting  ready  to  offer  the  sacrifices,  but  when  Paul  and 
Barnabas  heard  what  was  going  on,  they  ran  among  the 
people  crying  out:  “Sirs,  why  do  ye  these  things?  We 
also  are  men  of  like  passions  with  you,  and  bring  you 
good  tidings,  that  ye  should  turn  from  these  vain  things 
unto  a  living  God,  who  made  the  heaven  and  the  earth 
and  the  sea,  and  all  that  in  them  is :  who  in  the  genera¬ 
tions  gone  by  suffered  all  the  nations  to  walk  in  their  own 
ways.  And  yet  he  left  not  himself  without  witness,  in  that 
he  did  good  and  gave  you  from  heaven  rains  and  fruit¬ 
ful  seasons,  filling  your  hearts  with  food  and  gladness.” 

So  great  was  the  wonder  of  the  multitudes  at  the  heal¬ 
ing  of  the  lame  man  that  they  could  hardly  be  persuaded 
that  Paul  and  Barnabas  were  not  gods.  The  missionaries 
had  all  they  could  do  to  keep  the  people  from  offering 
the  sacrifices.  If  Paul  had  been  given  time  he  might 
have  made  the  healing  of  the  lame  man  a  means  of  turn¬ 
ing  many  of  these  pagans  to  the  worship  of  the  true  God, 
but  enemies  were  on  his  track  and  they  appeared  so 
quickly  that  Paul  seems  not  to  have  had  opportunity  to 
pursue  the  matter  to  a  successful  issue. 

Followed  by  Malignant  Enemies.  Acts  14:19,  20. 
Paul’s  enemies  in  Iconium  had  plotted  to  stone  him,  but, 
as  we  have  seen,  he  escaped  from  them  and  went  to 
Lystra.  With  persistent  malignity  the  enemies  of  Paul 
followed  him.  They  came  to  Lystra  evidently  very  soon 
after  Paul  and  Barnabas  had  reached  that  city.  They 
succeeded  in  stirring  up  a  spirit  of  mob  violence  among 
a  certain  portion  of  the  people  who  dwelt  in  Lystra.  So 
it  came  to  pass  that  in  just  a  little  while  Paul  and  Bar¬ 
nabas  were  being  plotted  against  in  the  city  where  they 
had  been  taken  for  gods. 

So  successful  were  the  enemies  of  Paul  in  turning  the 
people  of  Lystra  against  the  missionaries  that  the  work 
not  only  was  hindered  but  a  mob  actually  attacked  Paul 
and  stoned  him.  Smitten  down  by  the  stones  of  the  mob, 


PAUL,  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  119 


Paul  was  dragged  outside  the  city  and  left  lying  there 
upon  the  ground.  His  enemies,  supposing  that  they  had 
succeeded  in  killing  him,  withdrew,  and  his  few  friends 
gathered  about  weeping  over  what  they  believed  to  be 
the  dead  body  of  their  leader.  However,  as  his  friends 
gathered  about  him,  Paul  recovered  consciousness.  He 
was  able  to  stand  and  later  he  entered  the  city.  The  next 
morning  it  was  thought  best  for  Paul  to  withdraw  quietly 
from  the  city,  so  he  went  away  with  Barnabas  and  they 
came  to  Derbe. 

A  Household  Conversion  at  Lystra.  II  Tim.  1 :5.  The 
work  of  the  missionaries  in  Lystra  seemed  to  have  ended 
in  disastrous  failure,  but  no  good  effort  is  ever  lost.  In 
other  parts  of  the  New  Testament  we  learn  that  it  was 
in  Lystra  that  Paul  came  first  in  contact  with  a  lad  who 
was  to  become  one  of  his  most  intimate  companions  and 
most  efficient  helpers.  Timothy  was  only  a  boy  when 
Paul  paid  this  first  visit  to  Lystra,  which  was  Timothy’s 
home  town.  Paul  came  into  the  household  of  Timothy 
and  succeeded  in  turning  its  inmates  toward  the  Christian 
faith.  Eunice,  the  mother  of  Timothy,  and  Lois,  his 
grandmother,  became  Christians,  and  Timothy  himself 
accepted  Jesus  as  the  Messiah,  concerning  whose  coming 
his  mother  had  taught  him. 

Branded  with  the  Marks  of  Jesus.  Gal.  6:17.  Paul 
bore  the  scars  of  wounds  received  in  Lystra  until  the  day 
of  his  death.  Years  afterward  he  wrote  to  the  churches 
of  Galatia,  one  of  which  is  believed  to  have  been  the 
church  at  that  time  existing  in  the  city  of  Lystra.  He 
says  in  this  letter,  “Henceforth  let  no  man  trouble  me ; 
for  I  bear  branded  on  my  body  the  marks  of  Jesus.” 
Certain  opponents  were  following  Paul  about  from 
place  to  place.  They  had  been  visiting  the  churches  of 
Galatia  and  had  been  trying  to  persuade  the  members  of 
these  churches  that  Paul  was  no  true  disciple  of  Jesus. 
Paul  answered  these  opponents  by  pointing  to  his  scars 
received  at  Lystra  and  elsewhere,  and  by  saying,  “Let  no 
man  trouble  me ;  for  I  bear  branded  on  my  body  the 
marks  of  Jesus.”  He  had  given  evidence  of  his  fidelity  to 
Jesus  by  his  unwavering  devotion  to  the  task  of  making 
the  gospel  known  in  all  the  earth. 


120  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


A  Successful  Campaign  in  Derbe.  From  Lystra  Paul 
and  Barnabas  turned  southeast  again  and  came  to 
Derbe.  Here  for  the  first  time  Paul  and  Barnabas  seem 
to  have  met  with  no  opposition.  No  mention  is  made 
of  a  synagogue  in  Derbe  and  there  were  probably  few 
Jews,  if  any,  living  in  the  city.  Paul’s  malignant 
enemies  of  Iconium  were  evidently  of  the  opinion  that 
they  had  killed  Paul  at  Lystra,  so  they  gave  him  no 
trouble  while  he  labored  in  Derbe. 

The  work  of  the  missionaries  in  Derbe  was  very  suc¬ 
cessful.  Luke  wrote  that  “many  disciples”  were  made. 
As  Paul  had  found  in  Lystra  Timothy,  who  afterward 
became  one  of  his  chief  helpers,  so  in  Derbe  he  found  a 
youth  named  Gaius  who  accepted  Jesus  as  the  Saviour. 
Gaius,  like  Timothy,  became  one  of  Paul’s  helpers.  Both 
Gaius  and  Timothy  were  traveling  companions  of  Paul 
on  some  of  the  subsequent  trips  which  he  made  through 
Asia  Minor. 

Suggestions  eor  Notebook  Work 

Trace  on  the  notebook  maps  the  journey  of  Paul  and 
Barnabas  from  Perga  to  Antioch  of  Pisidia,  to  Iconium, 
to  Lystra,  to  Derbe,  back  through  all  these  towns  to 
Perga,  then  to  Attalia,  thence  by  ship  to  Antioch  in  Syria. 
Construct  a  chronological  chart  of  Paul’s  life  giving  ap¬ 
proximate  dates,  so  that  it  may  be  filled  out  as  the  story 
of  Paul’s  life  is  studied  further.  Suggested  outline  down 
to  the  time  of  this  chapter  would  be  as  follows : 

Chronoeogicae  Tabee  oe  Paul’s  Liee 

Born  in  Tarsus  about  A.  D.  2. 

Boyhood  in  Tarsus,  A.  D.  2-17. 

In  School  at  Jerusalem,  A.  D.  17-22. 

Teaching  and  Tent-Making  in  Tarsus,  A.  D.  22-31. 

His  Conversion,  A.  D.  32. 

In  Arabia,  A.  D.  32-35. 

In  Syria  and  Cilicia,  A.  D.  35-43. 

Work  in  Antioch,  A.  D.  44. 

First  Missionary  Journey  from  Antioch,  A.  D.  45-47. 

Picture:  Paul  and  Barnabas  at  Lystra,  by  Raphael,  No 
286. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  121 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

ORGANIZING  CHURCHES  ON  THE  HOMEWARD 

JOURNEY 

Acts  14:21-28 

Derbe  proved  to  be  the  farthest  point  reached  by  Paul 
and  Barnabas  on  this  first  missionary  journey  from  Anti¬ 
och  of  Syria.  They  had  traveled  several  hundred  miles 
and  had  probably  been  away  from  Antioch  more  than 
two  years.  So  they  began  to  think  of  turning  homeward. 
In  the  latter  part  of  their  journey  they  had  been  working 
back  toward  Antioch  of  Syria  and  at  Derbe  they  were 
not  more  than  two  hundred  miles  from  that  city  on  an 
air  line.  Their  shortest  route  home  was  to  cross  Mount 
Taurus  and  journey  around  the  northeastern  corner  of 
the  Mediterranean  Sea  to  Antioch.  To  return  through 
the  cities  where  they  had  been  persecuted  and  where 
Paul  had  narrowly  escaped  being  killed  was  an  under¬ 
taking  full  of  peril.  It  was,  moreover,  twice  as  far  by 
this  route  as  it  would  have  been  over  the  Taurus  Moun¬ 
tains.  However,  the  missionaries  thought  of  the  new 
converts  in  the  cities  they  had  visited.  They  knew  that 
some  of  them  were  being  persecuted  for  their  faith  in 
Jesus.  So  Paul  and  Barnabas  determined  to  face  the 
dangers  and  to  return  home  by  the  route  which  they  had 
traveled  on  their  outward  journey. 

Back  to  Lystra,  Iconium,  and  Antioch.  Acts  14:21. 
So  the  missionaries  left  Derbe  and  came  again  into  Lystra 
where  Paul  had  been  stoned  and  left  for  dead.  From 
Lystra  they  traversed  again  the  eighteen  miles  of  Roman 
highway  connecting  that  city  with  Iconium.  Iconium 
was  the  home  of  Paul’s  most  malignant  enemies,  for  it 
was  they  who  had  plotted  the  stoning  in  their  own  city 
and  who  having  failed  of  an  opportunity  to  carry  out 
their  plans  there  followed  Paul  to  Derbe  and  took  the 
lead  in  the  attack  which  came  so  near  ending  Paul’s  life. 
We  hear  nothing  of  Paul’s  enemies  during  this  homeward 
journey  of  the  missionaries.  It  is  likely  that  Paul  came 
in  quietly  and  soon  departed  so  that  none  of  his  enemies 
suspected  his  presence  in  the  city.  It  may  be  that  they 
still  thought  that  he  was  dead.  From  Iconium  the  mis- 


122  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


sionaries  traversed  another  eighty-mile  section  of  the 
Roman  road  and  again  entered  Antioch  of  Pisidia.  This 
is  the  city  from  which  Paul  and  Barnabas  had  been 
expelled  by  the  city  officials  and  it  is  probable  that  had 
their  presence  in  the  city  become  known,  their  lives 
would  have  paid  the  penalty. 

Confirming  the  Souls  of  the  Disciples.  Acts  14:22. 
The  homeward  journey  was  not  an  evangelistic  cam¬ 
paign.  It  had  other  ends  in  view.  First  of  all,  the  mis¬ 
sionaries  wished  to  meet  those  who  had  become  professed 
followers  of  Jesus.  They  wished  to  encourage  them  so 
that  they  would  hold  out  against  the  persecutions  which 
had  arisen  against  them,  for  after  Paul  and  Barnabas  had 
gone  on  their  way,  the  wrath  of  their  enemies  had  been 
turned  against  the  converts  whom  the  missionaries  left 
behind.  So  Paul  and  Barnabas  met  with  these  Chris¬ 
tians  in  secret.  They  told  them  to  continue  steadfast  in 
the  faith  and  explained  that  it  was  through  tribulation 
that  we  must  enter  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

Appointing  Officers  in  Every  Church.  Acts  14:23. 
As  the  missionaries  went  from  city  to  city  and  gathered 
the  believers  in  Jesus  together,  they  organized  churches 
by  appointing  elders  who  should  be  the  overseers  and 
leaders  of  the  various  congregations.  Paul  knew  the 
value  of  organization.  He  knew  that  unless  the  new 
converts  had  meetings  and  kept  up  their  services  of  wor¬ 
ship  they  would  become  scattered  and  the  movement 
which  had  begun  would  be  lost.  Selecting  the  best  men 
in  the  various  cities  they  set  them  apart  as  elders  or 
shepherds  of  their  fellow  Christians.  Thus  bound  to¬ 
gether  by  a  faith  which  was  dearer  to  them  than  life,  the 
little  bands  of  Christians  met  their  great  leaders  in  secret, 
under  the  cover  of  darkness,  perhaps  at  the  midnight 
hour,  with  watchers  set  lest  their  enemies  should  come 
upon  them  unawares.  They  prayed  and  fasted  and  wor¬ 
shiped  together;  then  commending  one  another  to  God 
they  parted.  Paul  and  Barnabas  to  face  the  dangers  of 
their  homeward  journey,  the  others  to  remain  in  their  own 
communities  and  to  cling  to  their  faith  whatever  might 
come  upon  them. 

Preaching  the  Gospel  in  Perga.  Acts  14:24-26.  Cross- 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  123 


ing  the  mountains  Paul  and  Barnabas  descended  to  the 
low-lying  coast  and  came  once  more  to  Perga,  where 
they  had  landed  on  their  outward  journey  after  sailing 
across  from  Cyprus.  They  had  not  preached  in  Perga 
when  they  passed  through  it  before,  so  now  they  paused 
for  a  season  in  the  city  and  proclaimed  the  gospel.  We 
are  not  told  concerning  the  results  of  the  preaching  in 
Perga,  but  we  may  believe  that  they  won  converts  there 
as  elsewhere.  A  little  later  Paul  spoke  to  Barnabas  con¬ 
cerning  the  disciples  who  had  been  won  in  every  city 
visited  on  this  first  missionary  journey,  so  we  may  be 
sure  that  at  least  some  converts  to  Christianity  were 
gained  in  this  lowland  city  by  the  sea. 

For  some  reason  the  missionaries  did  not  take  ship 
from  Perga  for  Antioch  of  Syria.  They  went  a  short 
distance  westward  along  the  coast  to  a  town  called  Attalia 
and  from  there  took  ship  for  home.  It  may  be  that  there 
was  no  ship  due  at  Perga  for  some  time  and  the  mission¬ 
aries  heard  of  a  ship  about  to  set  sail  from  this  neighbor¬ 
ing  seaport. 

Welcomed  Home.  Acts  14:27,  28.  Having  taken  ship 
at  Attalia,  the  missionaries  sailed  eastward  along  the 
southern  coast  of  Asia  Minor.  They  did  not  go  back  to 
Cyprus  and  retrace  their  steps  over  that  part  of  their 
journey  but  sailed  directly  to  Antioch  of  Syria.  A  sea 
voyage  of  something  less  than  four  hundred  miles 
brought  them  to  Seleucia  and  from  thence  they  hastened 
on  to  Antioch.  It  must  have  been  a  joyous  home-coming 
for  all  concerned.  It  was  an  occasion  of  joy  to  Paul  and 
Barnabas  for  they  had  that  feeling  of  satisfaction  which 
comes  after  great  labors  faithfully  performed.  They  had 
suffered  persecutions  and  hardships,  but  the  undertaking 
had  been  wonderfully  successful.  In  every  city  where 
they  had  preached  they  had  left  behind  them  earnest 
disciples  of  Jesus.  In  most  of  these  cities  they  had  organ¬ 
ized  churches  by  appointing  elders  and  other  officers. 
It  had  been  demonstrated  that  the  Gentiles  would  turn 
eagerly  to  the  Christian  religion  if  it  was  presented  to 
them  in  an  earnest  and  brotherly  way.  Paul  and  Bar¬ 
nabas  could  say  truthfully  that  they  had  fulfilled  the 
work  to  which  they  had  been  commissioned  by  the  church 


124  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


in  Antioch  and  to  which  they  had  been  set  apart  by 
God. 

When  Paul  and  Barnabas  came  to  Antioch,  there  was 
a  great  gathering  of  the  church  there.  All  were  eager  to 
hear  of  the  experiences  of  their  missionaries  on  the  fifteen- 
hundred-mile  journey  through  many  lands  and  occupying 
many  months.  When  the  church  members  had  gathered, 
Paul  and  Barnabas  told  of  their  experiences.  They  did 
not  recount  these  things  in  any  boastful  manner.  Luke 
says,  “They  rehearsed  all  things  that  God  had  done  with 
them.”  They  recognized  that  they  had  been  only  instru¬ 
ments  which  God  had  used  to  accomplish  a  great  work. 

That  which  gave  most  joy  to  the  missionaries  and  to 
the  church  in  Antioch  was  the  fact  that  this  missionary 
effort  had  demonstrated  the  fact  that  God  “had  opened 
a  door  of  faith  unto  the  Gentiles.”  The  dreams  which 
Paul  had  cherished  through  many  years  of  toil  and  ob¬ 
scurity  were  now  coming  true.  Jesus  was  fulfilling  his 
promise,  made  to  Paul  in  the  hour  of  his  conversion, 
when  he  said,  “Arise,  and  stand  upon  thy  feet :  for  to 
this  end  have  I  appeared  unto  thee,  to  appoint  thee  a 
minister  and  a  witness  both  of  the  things  wherein  thou 
hast  seen  me,  and  of  the  things  wherein  I  will  appear 
unto  thee ;  delivering  thee  from  the  people,  and  from  the 
Gentiles,  unto  whom  I  send  thee,  to  open  their  eyes,  that 
they  may  turn  from  darkness  to  light  and  from  the  power 
of  Satan  unto  God,  that  they  may  receive  remission  of 
sins  and  an  inheritance  among  them  that  are  sanctified 
by  faith  in  me.” 

Rest  After  Labor.  The  missionaries  had  been  away 
for  a  long  time,  possibly  for  nearly  three  years.  They 
had  traveled  on  foot.  They  had  preached  not  only  on 
the  Sabbath,  but  also  day  after  day  in  the  streets  and 
along  the  highways,  wherever  they  could  find  people  who 
would  listen.  They  had  been  in  grave  danger  from  time 
to  time.  So  we  are  not  surprised  to  learn  that  Paul  and 
Barnabas  “tarried  no  little  time  with  the  disciples”  in 
Antioch  before  launching  out  upon  another  missionary 
journey.  They  had  earned  a  rest  and  it  was  necessary 
for  them  to  recuperate  their  strength  before  undertaking 
another  journey  such  as  that  which  they  had  just  accom- 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  125 


plished.  Indeed,  before  he  began  another  missionary 
journey,  Paul  was  called  upon  to  grapple  with  a  new  and 
menacing  danger  which  had  arisen  during  his  absence  on 
the  first  missionary  journey  and  which  had  grown,  in  a 
sense,  out  of  his  success  in  preaching  Christ  to  the  Gen¬ 
tiles.  Up  to  this  time  Paul’s  opponents  had  been  among 
the  Jews,  or  occasionally  among  Gentiles.  He  was  now 
to  be  opposed  by  people,  who,  like  himself,  were  professed 
followers  of  Jesus.  He  was  to  enter  one  of  the  most 
important  of  the  great  controversies  which  from  time  to 
time  have  been  waged  within  the  folds  of  the  Christian 
Church. 

The;  Lesson  Prayer 

Our  Father  in  heaven,  we  pray  that  thou  wilt  teach  us 
to  be  diligent  and  faithful  in  every  task  which  thou  dost 
assign  unto  us.  Help  us  to  love  hard  work  because  it  is 
one  of  the  ways  in  which  we  can  honor  thee  and  serve 
thee.  Show  us  how  to  be  patient  with  those  who  do  not 
think  as  we  do  and  who  sometimes  hinder  our  plans. 
Save  us  from  becoming  bitter  while  we  persevere  in  that 
which  we  believe  to  be  thy  will.  Give  to  us  that  funda¬ 
mental  unselfishness  which  is  necessary  to  a  full  devo¬ 
tion  to  thee  and  to  thy  Kingdom.  Forgive  us  for  having 
been  thoughtless  and  lacking  in  diligence  and  wavering 
in  our  devotion.  We  ask  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  thy  Son. 
Amen. 

Supplemental  Missionary  Story 

“The  Canoe  of  Adventure.”  “The  Book  of  Missionary 
Heroes,”  page  92. 


EXPRESSION AL  SESSION 

THE  PLACE  OF  UNSELFISHNESS  IN  A  GREAT  AND 

USEFUL  LIFE 

Mark  10:23-31 

Our  Scripture  lesson  is  Mark’s  report  of  a  conversation 
which  Jesus  had  with  his  disciples  just  after  the  rich 
young  ruler  had  gone  away  sorrowful.  This  young  man 


126  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


had  come  to  Jesus  saying,  “Good  Teacher,  what  shall  I 
do  that  I  may  inherit  eternal  life?”  Jesus  had  told  the 
young  man  to  go  and  sell  all  that  he  had  and  give  the 
proceeds  to  the  poor,  and  then  come  and  follow  him. 
Because  he  had  great  possessions,  the  young  man  went 
away.  Then  Jesus  turned  to  his  disciples  and  talked  to 
them  about  the  necessity  of  being  willing  to  give  up 
everything  for  the  sake  of  eternal  life  and  for  the  good 
of  the  Kingdom. 

Peter,  just  a  little  boastfully  perhaps,  said,  “Lo,  we 
have  left  all,  and  have  followed  thee.”  Then  Jesus  told 
the  disciples  something  concerning  the  law  of  unselfish¬ 
ness.  He  told  them  that  if  anyone  left  “house,  or  breth¬ 
ren,  or  sisters,  or  mother,  or  father,  or  children,  or  lands,” 
for  his  sake,  and  for  the  gospel’s  sake,  he  should  receive 
in  the  present  time  “houses,  and  brethren,  and  sisters, 
and  mothers,  and  children,  and  lands,  with  persecutions; 
and  in  the  world  to  come  eternal  life.” 

The  life  of  Paul  is  a  good  illustration  of  the  truth  which 
Jesus  expressed  in  these  words.  Paul  had  given  up  every¬ 
thing  mentioned  in  the  words  of  Jesus.  He  had  given  up 
relatives,  home,  and  property  in  order  to  become  a  dis¬ 
ciple  of  Jesus.  He  had  given  them  up  with  a  wholly 
unselfish  purpose,  literally  for  Jesus’  sake  and  the  gospel’s 
sake.  Did  he  receive  a  hundredfold  reward  in  this  life? 
I  think  we  shall  find  that  he  did.  We  shall  find  that  in 
giving  up  one  brother  he  gained  hundreds  of  brethren ; 
in  giving  up  one  sister  for  the  gospel’s  sake  he  gained 
hundreds  of  sisters  through  the  gospel.  He  gave  up  one 
house  in  Tarsus  which  was  rightfully  his  as  an  inheri¬ 
tance,  but  through  the  gospel  he  won  hundreds  of  friends 
whose  love  for  him  was  so  sincere  that  they  gladly  made 
their  homes  his  home. 

This  law  of  unselfishness  runs  through  all  lives  that  are 
truly  great  and  good.  People  who  live  such  lives  gladly 
give  up  all  for  some  great  and  worthy  cause  to  which 
they  have  consecrated  themselves.  They  do  not  give  up 
these  things  in  order  to  receive  the  reward,  or  expecting 
any  reward.  Nevertheless,  the  reward  comes  and  it  is  a 
hundredfold  more  valuable  than  the  things  which  were 
given  up. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  127 


Some:  Truths  erom  the:  Lessons  We  Have 

Been  Studying 

Those  who  have  lived  great  and  useful  lives  have  lost 
sight  of  selfish  interests  in  their  devotion  to  some  great 
cause. 

Through  the  unselfish  devotion  of  great-souled  people 
humanity  makes  progress. 

Unselfishness  is  its  own  reward  for  it  reacts  upon  the 
character  of  the  person  who  practices  it  and  lifts  that 
personality  to  nobility  and  grandeur  of  soul. 

Unselfishness  will  make  a  person  more  diligent  than 
selfishness  can  possibly  make  him.  Paul  would  not  have 
labored  as  he  did  unless  he  had  been  unselfish.  There¬ 
fore,  the  unselfish  person  accomplishes  more  than  the 
person  who  works  from  selfish  motives. 

Review  Questions 

1.  Tell  of  Paul’s  experience  in  Iconium. 

2.  Paul’s  enemies  probably  charged  him  with  being  a 
disturber  of  the  peace.  How  would  you  answer  this 
charge  against  Paul  ? 

3.  Why  did  Paul  and  Barnabas  refuse  to  have  sacri¬ 
fices  offered  to  them  by  the  people  of  Lystra? 

4.  Who  was  chiefly  to  blame  for  the  attack  upon  Paul 
in  Lystra? 

5.  What  two  young  men  whom  Paul  met  at  this  time 
afterward  became  his  helpers? 

6.  Why  was  Paul  allowed  to  preach  unhindered  in 
Derbe? 

7.  What  do  you  learn  about  the  character  of  Paul  and 
Barnabas  through  the  fact  that  they  returned  to  Antioch 
of  Syria  through  the  cities  where  they  had  already 
preached? 

8.  What  did  the  missionaries  do  on  their  return 
journey  ? 

9.  Tell  of  the  reception  given  Paul  and  Barnabas  in 
their  home  church. 

10.  What  rewards  did  Paul  and  Barnabas  receive  for 
their  labors  on  the  journey  of  which  we  have  been 
studying? 


128  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Bible  Verses 

Prov.  27 :2 ;  Isa.  60 :17 ;  Matt.  5  :40-42 ;  10 :8,  38,  39 ;  Luke 
6 :38 ;  John  8 :29 ;  II  Cor.  8 :9 ;  Gal.  6 :2 ;  I  Tim.  2 :6,  7. 

Study  Topics 

1.  The  Unselfish  Life  of  Frances  Willarcl.  (Pupil 
should  read  life  of  Miss  Willard  and  report  briefly  upon 
unselfish  elements  in  her  character.) 

2.  Saul,  a  Great  King  Spoiled  by  Selfishness  and 
Jealousy. 

3.  Can  Anyone  Be  Unselfish  and  Succeed  in  Business? 

4.  The  Tragic  End  of  a  Selfish  Life.  Luke  16:19-31. 

5.  Some  of  the  Things  Paul  Gave  Up  in  Order  to 
Become  a  Christian. 

6.  Some  of  Paul’s  Rewards. 

7.  What  a  Person  Has  to  Give  Up  To-day  in  Order 
to  Become  a  Christian. 

8.  Ways  in  Which  Intermediate  Pupils  Can  Act 
Unselfishly. 

9.  How  Unselfishness  Helps  the  Home  Life. 

10.  How  Unselfishness  Reacts  Upon  Character.  (For 
the  pastor.) 

The  Lesson  Truth  Expressed  in  a  Law 

The  Law  of  Unselfishness.  Unselfishness  is  an  ele¬ 
ment  of  character  which  makes  its  possessor  a  blessing 
to  the  world.  Therefore  : 

1.  We  will  try  to  do  unselfish  acts  day  by  day. 

2.  We  will  try  to  be  unselfish  in  our  plans  and  in  our 
preparations  for  the  activities  of  manhood  and  woman¬ 
hood. 

3.  We  will  take  Jesus  as  our  ideal  of  the  unselfish  life, 
remembering  that  he  “pleased  not  himself,”  but  lived  for 
others. 

Projects  for  Putting  the  Lesson  Truths 

Into  Practice 

Plan  a  Self-Denial  Week  when  the  members  of  the  class 
will  do  without  something  in  order  to  save  money  for 
some  good  cause.  Ask  pupils  to  do  some  unselfish  act 
and  hand  in  unsigned  reports  which  may  be  read  and 
discussed  later. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  GENTILE  FREEDOM 
WEEK  DAY  SESSION 
A  NEW  MENACE  TO  THE  CAUSE  OF  CHRIST 
Acts  15:1-5;  Gal.  2:1-10 

Paul  was  now  fairly  started  on  his  great  life  task.  He 
had  carried  the  gospel  of  Jesus  directly  to  the  Gentiles 
and  had  accomplished  much  in  the  way  of  turning  them 
“from  darkness  to  light.”  He  now  saw  clearly  the  sub¬ 
lime  possibilities  in  the  preaching  of  the  religion  of  Jesus 
to  those  who  had  never  known  the  God  of  the  Jews,  but 
who  had  been  all  their  lives  worshipers  of  idols.  Paul 
was  eagerly  awaiting  the  time  for  another  and  more 
extensive  journey  among  Gentile  peoples  when  all  his 
hopes  were  suddenly  threatened  by  a  new  danger  to  the 
cause  of  Christ. 

Growth  of  the  Christian  Church  in  Judea  and  Jeru¬ 
salem.  During  the  years  that  Paul  and  Barnabas  were 
carrying  on  their  labors  in  distant  lands,  the  Christian 
Church  had  prospered  in  Jerusalem  and  in  Judea.  The 
churches  in  Judea  were  quite  different  from  the  church 
in  Antioch  of  Syria.  They  were  made  up  almost  entirely 
of  Jews.  The  few  Gentiles  who  were  members  of  the 
Christian  churches  in  Judea  had  been  Jewish  proselytes 
before  they  became  Christians ;  that  is,  they  had  become 
believers  in  Jehovah  and  had  been  accustomed  to  keep 
the  Law  of  Moses  as  it  had  been  interpreted  by  the 
rabbis. 

So  it  came  about  quite  naturally  that  the  Christians 
of  Judea  insisted  on  this  method  as  the  way  in  which 
Gentiles  were  to  become  Christians.  They  required  a 
Gentile  to  keep  the  Jewish  fast  days,  to  refrain  from  eat¬ 
ing  certain  kinds  of  meat  which  had  been  pronounced 
unclean  by  the  Law  of  Moses,  and  to  submit  themselves 
to  a  certain  ceremonial  rite  called  circumcision.  Unless 


129 


130  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


a  Gentile  first  did  these  things  and  showed  that  he  was 
devoted  to  the  old  forms  of  the  Jewish  religion,  the 
Judean  churches  would  not  permit  such  a  Gentile  to 
become  a  member  of  the  Christian  congregation. 

Trying  to  Put  New  Wine  Into  Old  Wine  Skins  and  a 
New  Patch  on  an  Old  Garment.  Matt.  9:16,  17.  Jesus 
had  seen  the  possibility  of  just  such  a  mistake  as  the 
Judean  Christians  were  now  making.  He  tried  to  make 
the  people  of  his  time  see  that  the  religion  which  he  had 
come  to  establish  was  something  more  than  a  mere  addi¬ 
tion  to  the  religion  of  the  Old  Testament.  The  new 
religion  was  to  be  built  on  the  foundations  laid  by  the 
Old  Testament  religion  and  was  to  emphasize  some  of 
the  same  truths  that  the  Old  Testament  prophets  had 
taught,  but  it  was  to  be  complete  in  itself.  It  had  come 
to  fulfill  all  that  the  Old  Testament  religion  had  prom¬ 
ised.  Jesus  said  that  to  try  to  fit  the  new  religion  into 
the  forms  and  ceremonies  of  the  old  would  be  like  putting 
new  wine  into  old  wine  skins.  The  new  wine  would 
burst  the  old  bags  and  both  the  wine  and  the  skins  would 
be  wasted.  He  said  that  such  an  attempt  would  be  like 
putting  a  new  patch  on  an  old  garment;  the  new  cloth 
would  be  unlike  the  old  and  in  shrinking  would  tear  the 
old  cloth  and  make  the  rent  worse  than  it  was  before. 

The  Church  at  Antioch  Had  Caught  the  True  Meaning 
of  Christianity.  On  the  other  hand  the  Christians  of 
Antioch  had  come  to  understand  the  true  nature  of  the 
Christian  religion.  They  understood  that  it  was  not  just 
a  reformed  Jewish  religion,  but  a  new  religion  grown 
out  of  the  old,  but  independent  of  it  and  destined  to 
replace  it,  and  to  spread  all  over  the  world.  Consequently 
the  church  at  Antioch  had  no  such  rules  as  the  Judean 
churches  concerning  how  Gentiles  should  become  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  Christian  Church.  They  believed  that  faith  in 
Jesus  as  the  Son  of  God  and  the  Saviour  of  the  world 
was  the  one  great  thing  that  was  necessary  for  anyone 
to  become  a  Christian.  They  did  not  require,  therefore, 
that  Gentiles  should  keep  the  Jewish  ceremonial  law,  or 
refrain  from  eating  the  kinds  of  meat  which  had  been 
forbidden  to  the  Jews  in  olden  times. 

The  matter  was  one  of  great  practical  importance.  If 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  131 


the  Judean  Christians  should  force  their  customs  upon  all 
Christian  churches,  the  result  would  be  a  very  slow 
progress  of  Christianity  among  Gentile  peoples.  Very 
few  Gentiles  had  accepted  the  Jewish  religion.  There 
were  a  few  proselytes  here  and  there,  but  most  Gentiles 
despised  the  Jews  and  their  religion.  They  called  the 
Jews  fanatics  and  their  religion  superstition.  So  if  Chris¬ 
tianity  was  to  be  presented  to  the  Gentiles  as  just  a  differ¬ 
ent  type  of  the  Jewish  religion,  there  was  small  hope  of 
any  large  success  for  it. 

Moreover,  the  Judean  Christians  were  wrong  in  mak¬ 
ing  something  besides  faith  in  Jesus  necessary  for  admis¬ 
sion  to  the  Christian  fellowship.  If  they  had  succeeded, 
the  greatness  of  the  work  of  Jesus  would  have  been 
obscured  and  the  power  of  the  Christian  religion  would 
have  suffered  just  as  it  always  has  suffered  when  the 
followers  of  Jesus  have  lost  sight  of  their  great  Leader. 

Certain  Men  from  the  Judean  Churches  Come  to 
Antioch.  Acts  15:1,  2.  The  Christians  of  Judea  heard 
about  what  the  Antioch  church  was  doing;  how  they 
were  receiving  Gentiles  on  the  same  conditions  that  they 
received  Jews,  requiring  of  them  only  a  confession  of 
their  faith  in  Jesus  as  Saviour  and  Lord.  Perhaps  these 
Judean  Christians  heard,  too,  of  Paul’s  journey  into  far 
distant  lands  where  he  had  preached  to  Gentiles  and 
organized  churches  among  them. 

So  certain  men  came  down  from  Judea  to  Antioch  to 
see  if  they  could  not  correct  what  they  believed  to  be  a 
dangerous  tendency  in  the  church  which  was  there.  It 
may  be  that  the  churches  of  which  these  men  were  mem¬ 
bers  in  Judea  had  sent  them  on  this  mission,  though  we 
have  reason  to  believe  that  the  Jerusalem  church  had 
taken  no  such  action.  These  men  came  into  the  church 
at  Antioch  and  began  to  teach  the  people  over  whom  Paul 
and  Barnabas  had  so  long  had  the  leadership.  They  were 
very  outspoken  in  their  statements,  telling  the  Antioch 
Christians  that  unless  they  kept  the  customs  of  Moses 
they  could  not  be  saved.  Paul  and  Barnabas  did  not 
believe  this  and  they  said  so.  Paul  and  Barnabas  taught 
that  everyone  who  believed  on  Jesus  would  be  saved,  no 
matter  whether  he  kept  the  customs  of  Moses  or  not. 


132  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


As  a  result,  there  was  a  great  deal  of  dissension  and 
discussion  between  Paul  and  Barnabas  on  the  one  side 
and  the  men  from  Judea  on  the  other.  The  Christians  of 
Antioch  who  had  come  in  as  Gentiles  without  promising 
to  keep  the  Jewish  customs  hardly  knew  what  to  believe. 
These  opponents  of  Paul  at  a  later  time  tried  to  persuade 
people  that  Paul  was  no  true  disciple  of  Jesus  and  they 
may  have  done  something  of  the  kind  in  Antioch  on  this 
occasion. 

Paul  Shows  Himself  to  be  a  Worthy  Antagonist.  Gal. 
2:1-5.  These  men  from  the  Judean  churches  did  not 
make  much  progress  in  their  efforts  to  bring  over  Paul 
to  their  point  of  view.  Paul  had  been  trained  for  just 
that  sort  of  argument  which  the  coming  of  these  men  had 
forced  upon  him.  If  these  men  from  Judea  tried  to  per¬ 
suade  the  Antioch  Christians  that  Paul  was  no  true  fol¬ 
lower  of  Jesus,  we  may  be  sure  that  Paul  had  something 
to  say  in  reply.  In  speaking  of  these  men  in  a  letter 
which  he  wrote  to  the  Galatian  churches  Paul  called 
them  “false  brethren”  and  said  that  they  “came  in  privily 
to  spy  out  our  liberty  which  we  have  in  Christ  Jesus, 
that  they  might  bring  us  into  bondage.”  He  further  in¬ 
dicated  his  stout  resistance  to  what  he  regarded  as  a  false 
teaching,  for  he  wrote  of  these  men  that  he  “gave  place” 
to  them,  “in  the  way  of  subjection,  no,  not  for  an  hour.” 
Paul  realized  the  importance  of  the  matter  under  dispute 
and  was  determined  that  if  he  could  prevent  it  the  cause 
of  Christ  should  not  suffer  from  the  narrow  views  of  these 
men  from  Judea. 

Referring  the  Question  to  the  Apostles.  As  the  con¬ 
troversy  between  Paul  and  the  men  from  Judea  con¬ 
tinued,  some  members  of  the  church  in  Antioch  proposed 
that  the  whole  matter  be  referred  to  the  apostles  and 
elders  in  Jerusalem  for  their  decision.  Peter  and  John 
were  still  in  Jerusalem  and  James  the  brother  of  Jesus 
was  also  there.  These  apostles  were  naturally  looked 
upon  as  leaders  of  the  whole  Christian  Church.  They 
had  been  with  Jesus  and  would  know  what  the  Master 
would  be  apt  to  say  regarding  the  matter  which  was 
causing  so  much  trouble  in  the  church  at  Antioch.  So 
both  sides  agreed  that  this  should  be  done.  The  Antioch 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  133 


church  arranged  to  send  Paul  and  Barnabas  and  certain 
others  of  their  members  to  Jerusalem.  Of  course  the 
Judean  churches  likewise  appointed  certain  persons  to 
represent  them  and  to  maintain  their  side  of  the  contro¬ 
versy  in  the  council,  which  was  now  planned  in  the  city 
of  Jerusalem. 

Paul  Makes  Ready  for  the  Coming  Conflict.  Acts 
15:3-5.  Paul  knew  the  danger  which  threatened  the 
Church.  He  became  intensely  active.  He  knew  better 
than  to  appear  before  the  council  unprepared.  He  knew 
that  if  the  churches  of  countries  lying  along  the  borders 
of  Judea  knew  of  the  great  work  already  accomplished 
among  the  Gentiles,  they  would  rejoice  and  would  make 
their  influence  felt  for  a  liberal  policy  toward  the  peoples 
who  were  not  Jews  or  proselytes.  So  as  Paul  and  Bar¬ 
nabas  and  the  other  representatives  of  the  Antioch  church 
passed  through  Phoenicia  and  Samaria,  they  told  about 
the  conversion  of  the  Gentiles  and  there  was  great  re¬ 
joicing  in  these  churches.  It  may  be  that  some  of  these 
churches  of  Phoenicia  and  Samaria  were  represented  at 
the  council.  If  so,  we  may  be  sure  that  these  represen¬ 
tatives  were  on  Paul’s  side  of  the  controversy  and  made 
their  influence  felt  for  the  liberal  policy  which  Paul 
advocated. 

•Paul  did  something  else  which  greatly  strengthened  his 
prospects  of  success  in  the  conference.  When  he  reached 
Jerusalem,  he  went  to  the  apostles  and  elders  and  told 
them  about  the  great  work  which  had  been  accomplished 
among  the  Gentiles  in  the  distant  regions  which  he  and 
Barnabas  had  visited.  He  spoke  to  the  Jerusalem  church 
and  won  most  of  the  members  to  his  way  of  thinking. 
However,  there  were  some  members  of  the  Jerusalem 
church  who  had  been  Pharisees  before  they  became  Chris¬ 
tians.  These  former  Pharisees  refused  to  accept  Paul’s 
theory  concerning  the  methods  whereby  Gentiles  should 
enter  the  Christian  Church.  They  maintained  that  Gen¬ 
tiles  must  be  circumcised  and  must  keep  the  Law  of 
Moses  if  they  wished  to  become  Christians.  These  ex- 
Pharisees  thus  became  Paul’s  opponents  in  the  council 
which  was  held  before  the  apostles  and  the  elders  of  the 
Jerusalem  church. 


134  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Suggestions  tor  Notebook  Work 

Add  to  the  Chronological  Table  of  Paul’s  Life  the  fol¬ 
lowing  item:  “Council  of  Jerusalem,  A.  D.  48.”  Picture: 
St.  John  and  Peter,  by  Diirer,  No.  763. 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

THE  COUNCIL  OF  JERUSALEM 
Acts  15:6-35;  Gal.  2:11-21 

Paul’s  victory  in  the  coming  council  had  really  been 
assured  in  his  private  conference  with  the  apostles  and 
elders  of  the  Jerusalem  church.  The  argument  which 
won  was  the  living  evidence  of  the  power  of  Jesus  to 
change  the  Gentiles  into  Christians.  Paul  had  with  him 
a  young  man  named  Titus  who  was  a  Gentile  of  Antioch 
but  who  had  become  a  Christian  under  Paul’s  preaching. 
The  apostles  and  elders  found  this  young  Gentile  Chris¬ 
tian  to  be  a  person  truly  devout  and  zealous  for  the  reli¬ 
gion  which  he  had  made  his  own.  When  they  heard 
about  Paul’s  experiences  in  distant  lands,  and  learned 
that  there  were  hundreds  of  Gentile  Christians  who  were 
like  Titus  and  had  never  known  anything  about  the  cus¬ 
toms  taught  by  the  rabbis,  they  were  glad  and  they  ex¬ 
tended  the  right  hand  of  fellowship  to  Paul  and  Barnabas. 
They  saw  that  God  had,  indeed,  called  Paul  to  work 
among  the  Gentiles  just  as  he  had  called  them  to  work 
among  the  Jews. 

Face  to  Face  with  the  Judaizers.  Acts  15:6.  Not  all 
the  members  of  the  church  in  Jerusalem  were  ready  to 
extend  the  right  hand  of  fellowship  to  Paul  and  Bar¬ 
nabas.  There  was  a  strong  party,  composed  mainly  of 
Christians  who  had  been  Pharisees,  which  was  bitterly 
opposed  to  Paul  and  determined  that  the  Gentiles  should 
not  be  admitted  into  the  Christian  Church  unless  they 
kept  the  customs  of  the  Jews.  This  party  came  to  be 
called  the  “Judaizers”  because  they  wished  to  make 
Christianity  as  much  like  the  Jewish  religion  as  they 
could. 

These  Judaizers  were  on  hand  when  the  council  met 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  135 


and  they  entered  into  the  controversy  determined  to  win 
their  point  and  to  discredit  Paul.  They  were  given  op¬ 
portunity  to  state  their  case  fully.  Then  Paul  and  Bar¬ 
nabas  were  given  a  chance  to  explain  what  they  had  done 
among  the  Gentiles.  After  both  sides  had  been  heard,  the 
case  was  discussed.  Luke  says  that  there  was  “much 
questioning”  without  any  approach  to  an  agreement. 

Peter’s  Sensible  View  of  the  Matter.  Acts  15:7-12. 
A  turning  point  in  the  deliberations  came  when  Peter 
arose  and  addressed  the  assembly.  Peter  had  now  grown 
old  in  the  service  of  his  Lord.  For  nearly  twenty  years 
he  had  preached  boldly  in  the  name  of  Jesus.  He  was 
beloved  and  respected  by  the  whole  Church,  so  the  mul¬ 
titudes  assembled  to  consider  this  grave  matter  gave  him 
respectful  attention.  Peter  told  of  that  time  when  he  had 
preached  to  the  Roman  centurion  and  other  Gentiles. 
He  said  that  at  that  time  God  had  blessed  these  Gentiles 
just  as  he  had  blessed  the  Jews  and  that  there  had  been 
no  distinction  in  God’s  dealing  with  the  two  classes  of 
believers.  “Now  therefore,”  said  Peter,  “why  make  ye 
trial  of  God,  that  ye  should  put  a  yoke  upon  the  neck  of 
the  disciples  which  neither  our  fathers  nor  we  were  able 
to  bear?  But  we  believe  that  we  shall  be  saved  through 
the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  in  like  manner  as  they.”  If 
there  had  been  any  uncertainty  as  to  how  the  matter 
would  go,  it  was  cleared  away  by  this  noble  statement 
of  the  grounds  of  salvation  through  the  merits  of  Christ 
as  they  were  set  forth  by  the  aged  apostle  of  Jesus.  A 
silence  fell  over  the  great  assembly.  Then  Paul  and 
Barnabas  came  forward  and  told  of  the  wonderful  results 
which  had  been  attained  by  preaching  Jesus  to  the  Gen¬ 
tiles.  After  this  there  could  be  no  decision  adverse  to 
the  stand  taken  by  Paul  and  Barnabas  on  the  matter  of 
Gentile  freedom  from  the  Jewish  customs.  The  Judaizers 
had  lost. 

The  Decision  of  James.  Acts  15:13-21.  James,  the 
brother  of  Jesus,  sat  as  the  presiding  officer  of  the  council. 
After  Paul  and  Barnabas  had  spoken,  James  arose  and 
gave  his  decision.  He  reminded  the  assembly  of  Peter’s 
experiences,  wherein  Gentiles  were  converted  and  became 
Christians,  receiving  God’s  blessing  just  the  same  as 


130  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Jews.  Then  he  showed  how  the  Old  Testament  prophets 
had  foretold  that  the  Gentiles  should  be  converted  to  the 
true  religion.  Having  made  these  preliminary  state- 
ments,  James  announced  it  to  be  his  judgment  that  the 
Jewish  Christians  “trouble  not  them  that  from  among  the 
Gentiles  turn  to  God.”  James  had  thus  given  a  clear 
statement  covering  the  essential  point  of  the  controversy. 
He  had  declared  that  in  his  judgment  Gentiles  could 
become  Christians  without  keeping  the  Jewish  customs. 
James  evidently  deemed  it  wise,  however,  to  give  some 
recognition  to  those  Christians  who  still  held  tenaciously 
to  the  Jewish  rites  and  ceremonies,  for  he  advised  that  a 
letter  be  sent  to  the  Gentile  churches  asking  them  to 
conform  to  the  Jewish  customs  in  four  particulars. 

The  first  request  suggested  by  James  was  that  the  Gen¬ 
tile  Christians  “abstain  from  the  pollutions  of  idols.” 
This  meant  that  the  Gentile  Christians  should  not  buy 
and  use  meat  which  had  been  offered  to  idols.  The  sec¬ 
ond  request  was  that  the  Gentile  Christians  should  ab¬ 
stain  from  fornication,  probably  meaning  the  marriage  of 
near  relatives.  The  third  request  asked  the  Gentile  Chris¬ 
tians  not  to  eat  the  flesh  of  any  bird  or  beast  which  had 
been  strangled.  The  fourth  request  recommended  similar 
conduct  regarding  the  use  of  blood  as  a  food.  The  Jewish 
customs  were  very  strict  on  these  four  points.  No  Jew 
would  think  of  eating  meat  which  had  been  used  in  pagan 
worship  of  an  idol.  The  Jews  would  not  eat  the  flesh  of 
any  bird  or  animal  which  had  not  been  killed  in  the  way 
prescribed  by  the  Mosaic  Law  and  they  turned  away  in 
horror  at  the  very  thought  of  using  blood  as  food.  The 
Jews  were  taught  these  things  from  their  earliest  years 
and  they  did  not  always  abandon  these  ideas  when  they 
became  Christians. 

A  Delegation  Sent  to  Antioch.  Acts  15:22-29.  The 
apostles  and  the  elders  and  the  whole  Church  seemed  to 
be  in  hearty  sympathy  with  the  judgment  which  James 
had  given.  They  decided  to  send  a  delegation  from  the 
Jerusalem  church  to  the  church  in  Antioch.  They  chose 
two  of  their  members,  Judas  and  Silas,  as  the  members 
of  this  delegation  and  requested  them  to  accompany  Paul 
and  Barnabas  back  to  Antioch.  They  likewise  wrote  a 


PAUL/  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  137 


letter  setting  forth  the  findings  of  the  council.  This  letter 
was  to  be  sent  not  only  to  the  church  in  Antioch,  but  also 
to  other  churches  in  Syria  and  to  churches  in  Cilicia 
where  the  same  questions  as  those  which  were  disturbing 
the  Antioch  church  had  been  raised. 

This  letter  expressed  the  cordial  greeting  of  the  apos¬ 
tles  and  elders  of  the  Jerusalem  church  to  their  Gentile 
brethren.  It  expressed  regret  that  certain  persons  had 
gone  from  the  Jerusalem  church  and  raised  a  disturbance 
in  Antioch  and  elsewhere.  It  stated  that  these  persons 
had  received  no  commission  from  the  Jerusalem  church 
to  do  as  they  had  done.  Paul  and  Barnabas  were  highly 
commended  for  the  great  work  they  had  done  among  the 
Gentiles.  The  letter  ended  with  a  request  that  the  four 
points  which  had  before  been  mentioned  be  observed  by 
the  Gentile  Christians. 

A  Rebellious  Minority.  There  was  evidently  no  dis¬ 
senting  vote  when  the  decision  of  the  council  was  reached. 
Indeed,  the  letter  sent  to  the  Gentile  Christians  said  that 
the  council  had  “come  to  one  accord”  on  the  matters 
under  discussion.  However,  the  Judaizers  were  only 
temporarily  silenced.  They  had  no  idea  of  submitting  to 
the  will  of  the  majority.  They  had  lost  in  open  and  fair 
discussion  but  they  had  other  weapons  upon  which  they 
expected  to  fall  back.  Paul  was  by  no  means  through 
with  them.  They  were  to  be  his  most  bitter  opponents 
for  many  a  year.  We  shall  find  that  they  deliberately 
planned  to  follow  Paul’s  tracks  over  all  his  missionary 
journeys  and  to  destroy  the  work  he  had  done  and  wreck 
the  Gentile  churches  he  had  organized  unless  the  Gentile 
Christians  should  accept  not  only  the  four  points  of  the 
Jewish  law  set  forth  in  the  letter  sent  out  by  the  Council 
of  Jerusalem  but  also  every  item  of  the  Jewish  customs. 

Paul  Contending  for  a  Universal  Brotherhood  Within 
the  Church.  Gal.  1:11-21.  Paul  had  won  a  victory  for 
Gentile  freedom,  in  the  Council  of  Jerusalem.  He  had 
secured  the  written  opinion  of  the  apostles  and  elders  of 
the  Jerusalem  church  stating  that  Gentiles  could  enter 
the  Christian  Jhurch  freely  without  first  becoming  Jew¬ 
ish  proselyte  ,.  The  status  of  the  Gentile  Christians 
within  the  Church  and  their  social  relationships  with 


138  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Jewish  Christians  did  not  come  up  at  the  council.  It 
was  soon  to  arise,  however.  The  Jews  had  for  centuries 
refused  to  have  any  dealings  with  Gentiles  beyond  what 
was  absolutely  necessary.  They  would  not  eat  at  the 
same  table  with  them.  They  would  not  enter  their  houses 
if  they  could  help  it.  They  thought  that  they  must  wash 
themselves  thoroughly  if  they  had  so  much  as  touched 
the  garment  of  a  Gentile.  Were  these  social  barriers  to 
continue  between  Gentile  Christians  and  Jewish  Chris¬ 
tians  just  as  they  had  existed  for  centuries  between  Jew 
and  pagan  Gentile?  Most  of  the  Jewish  Christians  in¬ 
sisted  that  these  barriers  must  remain  just  as  they  were. 
The  very  thought  was  abhorrent  to  Paul.  He  maintained 
that  there  is  no  Jew  nor  Greek  in  the  Christian  fellowship 
but  that  all  are  one  in  Jesus.  This  new  controversy  was 
soon  seen  to  be  quite  as  important  as  that  which  had  just 
been  settled  at  Jerusalem.  It  promised  to  be  far  more 
serious  for  Paul,  for  he  soon  found  himself  standing 
practically  alone  as  the  champion  of  universal  and  full 
brotherhood  within  the  Church  of  Christ. 

Peter  Comes  Down  to  Antioch.  Soon  after  the  Council 
of  Jerusalem  Peter  came  down  to  Antioch.  In  a  spirit 
of  Christian  fellowship  he  entered  the  houses  of  Gentile 
Christians  and  ate  at  their  tables.  Word  of  what  Peter 
had  done  soon  reached  Jerusalem  and  certain  messengers 
arrived  from  James.  Evidently  these  messengers  took 
Peter  to  task  for  entering  the  houses  of  Gentiles  and  for 
eating  with  them.  So  Peter  from  that  time  refused  to 
eat  wTith  Gentile  Christians.  The  matter  began  to  be  very 
serious.  There  were  many  Jews  among  the  Christians 
of  Antioch  and  they  began  to  follow  Peter’s  example. 
They  refused  to  eat  with  their  Christian  brethren  who 
were  of  Gentile  stock.  There  was  thus  set  up  a  kind  of 
aristocracy  within  the  church.  Christian  fellowship  was 
marred.  The  church  was  divided.  It  began  to  lose 
power.  The  splendid  church  which  had  sent  Paul  and 
Barnabas  out  on  their  first  missionary  tour  began  to 
decline.  It  was  doomed  to  fall  speedily  unless  the  divi¬ 
sion  could  be  healed,  for  no  church  divided  against  itself 
can  stand  long  at  any  time,  and  in  that  day  when  many 
enemies  were  all  around  division  was  especially  deadly. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  139 


Any  movement  which  encourages  people  to  think  of 
themselves  as  superior  to  their  fellow  men  is  hard  to 
deal  with.  It  appeals  to  selfish  pride.  This  notion  of 
the  Jewish  Christians  that  they  were  superior  to  the 
Gentile  Christians  consequently  grew  apace.  Even  Bar¬ 
nabas  was  carried  away  by  it.  Paul  stood  alone,  but  he 
met  the  issue  courageously.  He  rebuked  Peter  to  his 
face  and  his  bold  stand  for  Christian  social  equality  won 
the  day  in  Antioch,  at  least. 

The:  Lesson  Prayer 

O  God,  ou  Father  in  heaven,  teach  us  to  be  kindly  and 
brotherly  to  all  thy  children.  Some  of  us  are  professed 
followers  of  Jesus  thy  Son.  Help  those  of  us  who  have 
confessed  his  name  to  have  something  of  his  spirit  of 
universal  brotherhood.  P'orgive  us  if  we  have  broken  the 
laws  of  Christian  fellowship.  Forgive  us  if  we  have  not 
been  so  friendly  to  any  of  the  followers  of  Jesus  as  we 
should  have  been.  Forgive  us  if  our  actions  have  been 
inconsistent ;  if  we  have  been  more  friendly  to  some  of 
thy  children  when  we  have  met  them  in  church  than  we 
have  been  when  we  have  met  them  elsewhere.  Help  us 
to  develop  that  democratic  spirit  of  universal  brother¬ 
hood  and  Christian  equality  which  was  such  a  leading 
characteristic  of  the  great  man  whose  life  we  are  study¬ 
ing.  Amen. 

Supplemental  Missionary  Story 

“The  Knight  of  the  Slave  Girls.”  “The  Book  of  Mis¬ 
sionary  Heroes,”  page  150. 


EXPRESSION AL  SESSION 

THE  BREADTH  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN  FELLOWSHIP 

Col.  3:9-17 

The  pastor  of  a  large  and  fashionable  city  church  had 
been  very  active  in  securing  new  members.  He  was 
anxious  to  have  these  new  recruits  feel  at  home  in  the 
church,  so  he  urged  those  who  had  long  been  members 


140  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


of  the  church  to  call  upon  those  who  had  just  entered  its 
membership.  The  response  of  the  old-time  members  was 
not  hearty.  For  some  time  this  condition  puzzled  the 
nastor.  He  noticed  that  all  the  old-time  members  were 

j. 

cordial  to  the  new  members  when  they  met  in  the  church 
services  but  he  could  not  get  these  old-time  members  to 
call  at  the  homes  of  the  new  members  to  any  great  extent. 
At  last  a  remark  made  by  a  woman  on  whom  he  was 
urging  this  duty  of  calling  on  new  members,  opened  the 
pastor’s  eyes  to  the  true  situation.  This  woman  said, 
“Well,  I  will  call  on  those  people  on  one  condition,  and 
that  is  that  they  understand  fully  that  my  call  is  a  church 
call  and  not  a  social  call.”  Then  the  pastor  knew  that 
there  were  certain  social  barriers  running  through  his 
congregation,  separating  them  one  from  another  and  mar¬ 
ring  that  full  fellowship  which  makes  the  Church  of 
Christ  strong  and  without  which  no  church  can  be  really 
prosperous  in  spiritual  things. 

It  was  this  spirit  of  social  division  within  the  church 
that  Paul  had  to  combat  in  Antioch.  The  spirit  of  the 
woman  who  refused  to  call  on  new  church  members 
unless  it  was  understood  that  her  call  was  a  church  call, 
but  not  a  social  call,  would  have  been  disgusting  to  Paul. 
He  had  gained  a  vision  of  the  sublime  truth  that  true 
followers  of  Jesus  are  bound  together  in  such  a  bond  of 
fellowship  that  they  are  made  one  in  Christ.  He  knew 
that  there  could  not  be  among  Christians  “Greek  and 
Jew,  circumcision  and  uncircumcision,  barbarian,  Scy¬ 
thian,  bondman,  freeman;  but  Christ  is  all,  and  in  all.” 

Some:  Truths  from  the:  Le:ssons  Wk  Have: 

Bffn  Studying 

Race  prejudice,  social  prejudice,  and  any  other  thing 
which  separates  us  from  wide  sympathy  with  our  fellow 
men  and  causes  us  to  refuse  them  fellowship,  is  mean, 
narrow,  and  unchristian. 

Unsocial  attitudes  toward  our  fellow  countrymen  are 
unpatriotic,  for  our  nation  is  “dedicated  to  the  proposition 
that  all  men  are  created  equal.” 

There  are  persons  with  whom  we  cannot  and  ought  not 
to  have  close  fellowship,  but  our  attitude  toward  such 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  141 


persons  is  not  based  on  social  prejudice.  It  is  based  on 
the  characteristics  of  the  persons  themselves,  not  on  what 
their  ancestors  were  or  on  their  lack  of  learning  or  their 
poverty  or  on  the  color  of  their  skin. 

If  Paul  had  not  had  sympathy  with  Gentiles  and  had 
not  entered  into  fellowship  with  them,  he  would  have 
made  slow  progress  in  winning  them  to  Christ. 

Review  Questions 

1.  What  change  did  Paul’s  conversion  make  in  his  at¬ 
titude  toward  Gentiles? 

2.  Explain  what  Jesus  meant  in  his  words  about  put¬ 
ting  new  wine  in  old  wine  skins  and  a  new  patch  on  an 
old  garment. 

3.  Show  that  the  church  of  Antioch  had  the  true  spirit 
of  Christianity. 

4.  Tell  of  the  visit  of  the  men  from  Judea  to  the 
church  of  Antioch. 

5.  How  did  Paul  prepare  for  the  council  in  Jerusalem? 

6.  Who  were  the  Judaizers? 

7.  Tell  of  Peter’s  words  before  the  council. 

8.  What  was  the  substance  of  the  judgment  rendered 
by  James? 

9.  What  action  did  the  council  take  ? 

10.  Tell  of  Paul’s  conflict  for  a  broad  and  universal 
fellowship  within  the  Church. 

Bibee  Verses 

Acts  10:28;  17:26;  Rom.  1:14;  Gal.  1:11-13;  3:26-29; 
6:10;  Eph.  4:4-6;  I  Cor.,  ch.  13. 

Study  Topics 

1.  The  Attitude  of  Jesus  Toward  Race  Prejudice  and 
Artificial  Social  Barriers. 

2.  The  Right  Attitude  of  an  American  Boy  or  Girl 
Toward  Young  Foreigners. 

3.  God’s  Law  Concerning  Foreigners.  Lev.  19:33,  34. 

4.  A  Faithful  Negro  Servant  Who  Saved  the  Life  of 
a  Prophet.  Jer.  38:7-13. 


142  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


5.  Haman,  a  Man  with  Race  Hatred  in  His  Heart. 
Esth.,  chs.  5  to  7. 

6.  The  Good  Samaritan  an  Illustration  of  Christian 
Neighborliness.  Luke  10:25-37. 

7.  The  Universal  Sympathy  of  Jesus.  I.  With  Little 
Children.  Matt.  18:1-6.  II.  With  the  Sick.  Mark 
1:40-42.  III.  With  Those  in  Sorrow.  John  11:35.  IV. 
With  Those  Who  Had  Rejected  Him.  Luke  13:34,  35; 
19:41-44. 

8.  Is  It  Right  to  Obey  Social  Customs  Which  Limit 
Our  Fellowship  with  Christians? 

9.  The  Harm  Which  Comes  from  Cliques  in  the 
Church  and  the  Church  School. 

10.  Can  a  Wide  Fellowship  Be  Just  as  Deep  and  True 
as  a  Fellowship  More  Restricted? 

The  Lesson  Truth  Expressed  in  a  Law 

The  Law  of  Christian  Fellowship.  The  spirit  of  Jesus 
was  one  of  wide  sympathy  with  all  humanity  and  one  of 
closest  fellowship  with  all  who  know  and  love  God. 
Therefore : 

1.  We  will  not  refuse  to  have  fellowship  with  anyone 
on  account  of  race,  intellectual  standing,  material  posses¬ 
sions,  or  artificial  social  barriers. 

2.  We  will  endeavor  especially  to  maintain  helpful  and 
close  fellowship  with  all  who  are  believers  in  Jesus. 

3.  We  will  try  to  make  our  fellowships  an  agency  for 
building  up  God’s  Kingdom  of  universal  brotherhood  on 
earth. 

Projects  for  Putting  the  Lesson  Truths 

Into  Practice 

The  teacher  of  the  class  should  be  aware  of  the  educa¬ 
tional  opportunity  offered  by  the  social  situations  which 
arise  within  the  church  school.  Some  church  schools  are 
wrecked,  or  fail  to  accomplish  much  of  real  value,  because 
the  pupils  are  narrow  and  clannish  in  their  social  fellow¬ 
ships.  If  any  tendency  to  this  situation  is  noted,  the 
teacher  should  show  plainly  how  the  lesson  truth  applies 
to  the  situation.  A  class  social  in  which  a  class-wide 
good  fellowship  was  the  goal  would  be  a  good  way  to  put 
the  truths  of  this  lesson  into  practice. 


CHAPTER  XI 

TURNING  ONCE  MORE  TO  THE  MISSION 

FIELDS 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

VISITING  THE  CHURCHES  ORGANIZED  ON  THE 
FIRST  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY 

Acts  15:36-41;  16:1-10 

When  Paul  and  Barnabas  with  Judas  and  Silas  reached 
Antioch  and  told  of  the  decision  of  the  Council  of  Jeru¬ 
salem  and  read  the  letter  which  the  council  had  sent  out 
to  the  churches,  there  was  great  rejoicing  in  that  city. 
Judas  and  Silas,  themselves  prophets  or  preachers  of  the 
gospel,  preached  to  the  Christians  of  Antioch.  After  a 
time  the  delegates  from  Jerusalem  prepared  to  return  to 
their  home.  They  were  sent  back  with  messages  of  cor¬ 
dial  friendship  to  the  church  of  Jerusalem.  If  Silas  re¬ 
turned  to  Jerusalem  with  Judas,  he  must  have  come  back 
to  Antioch  shortly  afterward,  for  we  soon  hear  of  him 
again  in  that  city. 

Paul  and  Barnabas  now  settled  down  for  a  season  of 
teaching  and  preaching  in  Antioch.  The  church  there 
had  now  grown  so  large  that  two  men  could  not  do  all 
the  preaching  and  teaching  and  pastoral  work.  Luke  has 
told  us  that  not  only  Paul  and  Barnabas,  but  “many 
others  also,”  took  part  in  the  work  of  ministering  to  the 
Christians  of  Antioch  and  in  the  work  of  winning  new 
converts  for  the  faith. 

A  Sharp  Contention  Between  Intimate  Friends.  Acts 
15:36-41.  Paul  and  Barnabas  thought  often  of  the  con¬ 
verts  to  Christ  whom  they  had  left  in  far-away  lands 
and  longed  to  know  how  they  were  getting  along.  When 
the  work  in  Antioch  had  been  once  more  put  in  a  satis¬ 
factory  condition,  Paul  one  day  said  to  Barnabas,  “Let 
us  return  now  and  visit  the  brethren  in  every  city  wherein 
we  proclaimed  the  word  of  the  Lord,  and  see  how  they 
fare.”  Barnabas  was  quite  as  eager  as  Paul  was  to  visit 

143 


144  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


the  Christians  whom  they  had  left  in  distant  countries, 
so  they  began  to  plan  for  another  great  tour.  Barnabas 
proposed  that  they  should  take  John  Mark  with  them  as 
they  had  done  before.  Paul  had  evidently  made  up  his 
mind  not  to  take  John  Mark  on  another  missionary  tour. 
Paul  disapproved  of  John  Mark’s  leaving  the  party  on 
the  former  trip  when  they  reached  Pamphylia.  Paul  was 
very  firm  when  he  had  once  made  up  his  mind  and  he 
refused  to  consider  Mark  as  a  possible  member  of  the 
contemplated  journey. 

Barnabas  was  a  kindly  man  and  wished  to  give  his 
young  cousin  another  chance.  When  Barnabas  was  sure 
that  he  was  in  the  right,  he  could  be  quite  as  firm  as 
Paul.  So  there  came  to  be  a  conflict  of  opinions  on  the 
subject.  Luke  says  that  “a  sharp  contention”  arose  be¬ 
tween  Paul  and  Barnabas.  These  two  intimate  friends 
could  not  agree.  Barnabas  had  befriended  Paul  by  win¬ 
ning  the  apostles  over  to  a  confidence  in  him  when  all 
the  Christians  were  afraid  of  him.  He  had  unselfishly 
sought  Paul  in  Tarsus  and  brought  him  to  the  great 
opportunity  in  Antioch.  The  two  had  labored  side  by 
side  through  dangers  and  hardships,  but  the  time  had  now 
come  when  they  could  not  agree-.  So  they  decided  to 
separate  and  divide  the  field  between  them.  Barnabas 
took  John  Mark  with  him  and  went  to  Cyprus,  while 
Paul  chose  Silajs  as  his  companion  and  set  out  to  reach 
the  mission  fields  of  Asia  Minor  by  traveling  overland. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Paul  had  labored  some  ten 
years  in  Cilicia  and  Syria  with  Tarsus  as  his  headquar¬ 
ters.  He  had  probably  organized  a  good  many  churches 
in  that  region  before  he  received  the  invitation  of  Bar¬ 
nabas  to  come  to  Antioch.  It  was  Paul’s  plan  to  visit 
these  churches  on  his  way  to  the  churches  of  Asia  Minor. 
So,  as  Luke  wrote,  “he  went  through  Syria  and  Cilicia, 
confirming  the  churches.” 

We  are  not  given  any  information  concerning  the  work 
which  Barnabas  and  Mark  did  in  Cyprus.  Both  Bar¬ 
nabas  and  Mark  drop  out  of  the  New  Testament  narra¬ 
tives  for  a  time.  We  hear  of  both  again,  however,  in 
Paul’s  letters.  It  is  good  to  know  that  Paul  and  Bar¬ 
nabas  were  not  made  enemies  by  their  honest  difference 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  145 


of  opinion.  Paul  speaks  in  high  praise  of  both  Barnabas 
and  Mark.  During  his  imprisonment  in  Rome,  Paul  sent 
for  Mark.  Writing  to  his  helper,  Timothy,  he  said, 
“Take  Mark,  and  bring  him  with  thee;  for  he  is  useful 
to  me  for  ministering.”  Mark  had  long  since  made  good 
and  had  become  one  of  Paul’s  most  trusted  helpers.  We 
must  believe  that  Paul  was  wrong  and  Barnabas  right 
in  the  controversy  about  Mark.  Paul  had  his  faults.  He 
was  not  a  saint,  if  we  mean  by  that  term  one  who  is 
faultless.  He  was  just  an  honest,  earnest,  great-souled 
man  who  occasionally  made  blunders  like  other  people. 

Timothy  Joins  Paul’s  Party  at  Lystra.  Acts  16:1-5. 
Paul  and  Silas  journeyed  northward  from  Antioch  of 
Syria  visiting  the  churches  of  Syria  and  Cilicia.  They 
came  to  Paul’s  home  town  of  Tarsus,  then  they  crossed 
the  Taurus  Mountains  and  came  to  Derbe  where  Paul 
and  Barnabas  had  turned  back  on  their  first  missionary 
journey.  Having  visited  the  Christians  in  Derbe,  they 
pushed  on  to  Lystra.  Here  Paul  was  again  welcomed 
into  the  household  of  Eunice  and  Lois.  It  had  been  some 
two  years  since  Paul  left  Lystra.  During  that  time 
Paul’s  young  friend  Timothy  had  developed  into  a  strong 
Christian  leader.  He  was  beloved  not  only  by  his  fellow 
Christians  in  Lystra  but  was  also  well  known  among  the 
members  of  the  church  in  the  neighboring  city  of  Ico- 
nium.  Paul  was  so  much  impressed  by  Timothy’s  abili¬ 
ties  and  his  consecration  to  the  cause  of  Christ  that  he 
chose  Timothy  to  become  his  helper. 

So  Timothy  joined  Paul’s  missionary  party  at  Lystra 
and  journeyed  with  Paul  and  Silas  onward  through  the 
other  towns  where  churches  had  been  organized  on  the 
first  missionary  journey.  As  the  party  went  from  church 
to  church,  they  told  of  the  council  which  had  met  in 
Jerusalem  and  of  its  decisions.  They  left  in  the  churches 
copies  of  the  letter  which  the  apostles  and  elders  had 
sent  out. 

The  visit  of  the  missionary  party  was  very  helpful  to 
the  churches.  They  were  strengthened  in  their  faith  by 
the  preaching  of  Paul  and  his  helpers,  and  encouraged 
as  they  learned  of  the  growth  of  the  Christian  religion 
in  other  cities  and  other  lands.  The  party  did  something 


146  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


more  than  preach  to  those  who  were  already  Christians. 
It  was  an  evangelistic  campaign  as  well  as  a  series  of 
meetings  intended  to  strengthen  the  Christians.  Con¬ 
sequently,  wherever  the  party  held  meetings,  many  new 
converts  were  won  for  the  religion  of  Jesus. 

Guided  by  an  Unseen  Hand.  Acts  16:6-10.  Paul  and 
his  party  doubtless  visited  Iconium  and  Antioch  of  Pi- 
si  di  a  just  as  they  had  visited  Per  be  and  Lystra.  Prom 
Antioch  they  entered  new  territory.  Instead  of  going 
south  toward  Perga  and  following  the  road  which  Paul 
and  Barnabas  had  traversed  twice  on  the  first  missionary 
journey,  they  journeyed  westward  into  the  province  of 
Asia.  Paul  was  evidently  heading  for  the  great  city  of 
Ephesus,  which  lay  only  about  two  hundred  miles  west 
of  Antioch  of  Pisidia. 

When  the  party  had  gone  about  a  day's  journey  into 
the  province  of  Asia,  and  were  heading  directly  for 
Ephesus,  they  changed  their  course  from  west  to  north. 
Luke  simply  states  that  Paul  and  his  companions  were 
“forbidden  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  speak  the  word  in  Asia." 
Paul  felt  himself  to  be  guided  by  an  unseen  hand  and 
in  some  way  God  revealed  to  him  that  it  was  not  the 
divine  will  that  the  gospel  should  be  preached  just  then 
in  the  province  of  Asia. 

Having  turned  away  from  the  highway  which  led  to 
Ephesus,  the  party  moved  north  and  west  until  they  were 
near  the  borders  of  the  country  called  Mysia.  Paul  then 
decided  to  lead  his  party  into  the  province  of  Bithynia 
which  lay  on  the  southern  shores  of  the  Black  Sea,  or  the 
Pontus  Euxinus,  as  it  was  called  in  those  days.  Again 
God  showed  Paul  that  Bithynia  was  not  the  field  which 
had  been  chosen  for  the  immediate  evangelistic  efforts 
of  the  party.  God  likewise  let  Paul  know  in  some  way 
that  the  land  of  Mysia  was  not  the  chosen  field  of  labor, 
so  they  kept  on  westward  until  they  reached  the  sea  coast 
at  Troas  near  the  site  of  ancient  Troy. 

The  Macedonian  Call.  Paul  and  his  party  had  now 
reached  the  sea,  and  had  no  definite  plans  as  to  just 
where  to  go  next.  They  were  seeking  to  know  God's 
will  and  wished  to  find  the  field  which  he  had  chosen  for 
their  labors.  God  revealed  his  will  to  Paul  in  a  vision  of 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  147 


the  night.  Paul  saw  a  man  of  Macedonia  standing  and 
beseeching  him  and  saying,  “Come  over  into  Macedonia, 
and  help  us.”  In  the  morning  Paul  told  his  companions 
of  his  vision  and  they  agreed  that  it  was  a  call  of  God 
asking  them  to  cross  the  sea  and  bear  the  gospel  into  the 
continent  of  Europe.  So  they  began  to  make  inquiries 
concerning  ships  which  might  be  sailing  from  Troas  to 
some  of  the  cities  of  Macedonia. 

Luke,  the  Good  Physician,  Becomes  a  Member  of 
Paul’s  Party.  It  is  now  almost  universally  believed  that 
Luke  wrote  The  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  He  was  a  physi¬ 
cian  and  seems  to  have  joined  Paul’s  party  at  Troas. 
The  accounts  of  the  journeyings  of  Paul  and  his  com¬ 
panions  contain  only  the  word  “they”  up  to  the  time 
when  the  party  reached  Troas.  In  telling  of  Paul’s  vision 
and  its  interpretation  by  the  members  of  the  party  the 
pronoun  “we”  suddenly  replaces  the  pronoun  “they” 
which  has  been  used  in  all  preceding  paragraphs.  So 
New  Testament  scholars  believe  that  Luke  was  in  Troas 
and  that  he  joined  Paul’s  party  there,  going  with  them 
to  the  cities  of  Macedonia  which  lay  across  the  sea. 

The  addition  of  Luke  to  the  party  was  a  great  blessing. 
Being  a  physician  he  was  probably  of  much  use  to  Paul 
who  suffered  at  times,  as  we  have  seen,  from  some  bodily 
ailment.  Luke’s  coming  had  another  far-reaching  effect, 
which  has  brought  a  blessing  to  the  people  of  all  the 
centuries  since  his  day.  Luke  was  a  scholarly  man.  He 
kept  notes  concerning  the  events  of  this  and  subsequent 
journeys  which  he  made  with  Paul.  He  gathered  infor¬ 
mation  concerning  Paul’s  life  previous  to  the  time  when 
he  and  Luke  met  one  another.  Later,  Luke  wrote  out  a 
sketch  covering  the  history  of  the  early  Church.  The 
sketch  which  Luke  wrote  is  now  called  The  Acts  of  the 
Apostles. 

Luke  was  also  engaged  in  another  literary  task  during 
the  years  when  he  was  Paul’s  physician  and  companion. 
He  had  an  opportunity  to  meet  many  who  had  known 
Jesus  during  the  days  when  Jesus  was  preaching  and 
teaching  in  Galilee  and  Judea.  It  is  thought  that  he 
became  acquainted  with  Mary,  the  mother  of  Jesus,  and 
with  others  of  the  group  of  women  who  accompanied 


148  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Jesus  and  helped  to  supply  the  money  with  which  the 
company  of  the  disciples  met  their  necessary  expenses. 
In  this  way  Luke  gathered  much  information  concerning 
the  life  of  Jesus,  especially  concerning  his  infancy  and 
childhood.  He  wrote  out  these  items  of  information  and 
the  result  is  that  part  of  the  New  Testament  which  we 
now  call  “The  Gospel  According  to  Luke.” 

Suggestions  eor  Notebook  Work 

Trace  on  the  notebook  maps  Paul’s  journey  from  Anti¬ 
och  of  Syria  through  Syria  and  and  Cilicia  to  Tarsus, 
over  the  Taurus  Mountains  to  Derbe,  to  Lystra,  to  Ico- 
nium,  to  Antioch  of  Pisidia,  westward  about  a  third  of 
the  way  from.  Antioch  of  Pisidia  to  Philadelphia,  then 
northward  to  a  point  about  south  of  the  present  site  of 
Constantinople,  thence  westward  to  the  coast  at  Troas. 
Add  to  the  Chronological  Table  of  Paul’s  Life  the  follow¬ 
ing  item :  “Second  Missionary  Journey,  A.  D.  49-51.” 
Picture:  Conversion  of  the  Philippian  Jailer,  No.  738. 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

THE  GOSPEL  CARRIED  INTO  EUROPE 
Acts  16:11-40 

Many  people  who  have  accomplished  really  great 
things  in  life  have  felt  as  Paul  did  as  he  moved  on  toward 
Troas.  They  have  been  conscious  of  an  unseen  and  guid¬ 
ing  hand  which  was  leading  them  on.  They  have  fol¬ 
lowed  the  leadings  of  Providence  and  have  later  come  to 
understand  the  goal  which  was  unknown  to  them  but 
which  the  Power  guiding  their  lives  evidently  had  in 
view.  We  have  no  intimation  that  Paul  intended  to  carry 
the  gospel  into  new  territory  on  the  second  missionary 
journey.  He  evidently  intended  only  to  visit  the  churches 
which  had  already  been  organized  on  the  first  journey. 
We  have  seen  how  he  was  led  beyond  the  limits  of  his 
contemplated  trip  and  guided  steadily  down  to  the  coast 
of  that  arm  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea  which  separates 
Asia  from  Europe.  In  this  lesson  we  are  to  learn  about 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  149 


the  work  which  God  had  in  view  for  Paul  and  his  helpers 
and  toward  which  his  hand  steadily  led  them. 

Crossing  the  Sea  and  Invading  a  New  Continent. 
Acts  16:11-13.  Paul  and  his  companions  found  a  vessel 
sailing  from  Troas  into  Macedonia  and  took  passage  upon 
it.  The  first  day,  the  wind  being  favorable,  they  were 
able  to  sail  in  a  straight  course  to  Samothrace,  an  island 
lying  off  the  coast  of  the  province  of  Thrace.  As  the 
ship  drew  near  this  island,  Paul  and  his  party  must  have 
caught  their  first  glimpse  of  that  European  continent 
toward  which  they  were  bound.  The  island  has  a  moun¬ 
tain  which  rises  over  five  thousand  feet  above  the  sea  and 
can  be  seen  from  a  long  distance.  It  was  probably  to¬ 
ward  this  mountain  top  appearing  above  the  waves  that 
the  sailors  directed  the  course  of  the  ship. 

The  next  day  the  ship  reached  Neapolis,  and  the  party 
went  on  shore.  Without  tarrying  in  this  seaport  town 
they  pushed  on  to  Philippi,  lying  some  ten  miles  beyond 
the  city  of  Neapolis.  Philippi  lay  within  the  province  of 
Macedonia  and  was  an  important  city.  Rich  mines  of 
gold  and  silver  existed  in  its  neighborhood  and  it  was 
blessed  with  many  natural  fountains  of  water.  It  was  a 
historic  spot,  many  famous  battles  having  been  fought  in 
its  vicinity.  The  Roman  Emperor  Augustus  had  here 
won  a  decisive  victory  which  established  him  as  ruler 
over  the  known  world.  He  had  honored  Philippi  by  giv¬ 
ing  many  of  his  veteran  soldiers  homes  there  and  by  giv¬ 
ing  it  the  privileges  of  a  Roman  colony. 

The  First  Convert  in  Europe.  Acts  16:14,  15.  When 
they  came  into  Philippi,  Paul  and  his  party  felt  that  they 
had  reached  a  city  in  which  God  had  work  for  them  to 
do.  So  they  tarried  there  several  days.  They  evidently 
found  no  synagogue  in  the  city,  but  they  heard  of  a  little 
band  of  women  who  were  accustomed  to  meet  on  the 
Sabbath  beside  the  river  which  flowed  near  the  town.  On 
the  Sabbath  Paul  and  his  companions  went  to  this  river¬ 
side  prayer  meeting.  They  sat  down  with  the  women 
and  talked  with  them. 

Some  of  these  women  may  have  been  of  the  Jewish 
race,  but  most  of  them  were  probably  Gentiles  who  had 
in  some  way  learned  a  little  about  the  God  of  the  Jews 


150  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


and  who  had  undertaken  to  serve  him  as  best  they  could. 
In  the  company  was  a  certain  woman  named  Lydia.  She 
was  from  Thyatira,  a  city  of  Asia  Minor,  but  was  making 
her  home  in  Philippi.  She  was  a  merchant,  engaged  in 
the  sale  of  the  costly  dyes  or  dyed  goods,  for  which  her 
native  city  was  famous. 

Lydia  gave  “heed  unto  the  things  which  were  spoken 
by  Paul.”  Having  confessed  her  faith  in  Jesus  as  the 
Saviour  of  the  world,  she  was  baptized,  as  were  all  the 
members  of  her  household.  The  gospel  had  thus  won  its 
first  triumph  in  Europe  by  the  conversion  of  a  woman 
with  all  her  household. 

Having  become  a  Christian,  Lydia  quickly  manifested 
a  spirit  of  Christian  hospitality  toward  the  missionaries. 
She  invited  them  to  come  into  her  house  and  to  make  it 
their  home  during  their  stay  in  the  city.  “If  ye  have 
judged  me  to  be  faithful  to  the  Lord,”  she  said,  “come 
into  my  house,  and  abide  there.”  The  missionaries  seem 
to  have  protested  at  first.  Perhaps  they  thought  that  so 
considerable  a  party  would  impose  an  unjust  burden  upon 
their  new  friend.  Lydia  insisted  on  their  accepting  her 
invitation.  Luke  says  in  his  brief  but  picturesque  way, 
“And  she  constrained  us.” 

Flogging  and  Imprisonment.  Acts  16:16-26.  The 
happy  beginning  of  the  work  in  Philippi  was  soon  marred. 
One  day  Paul  and  Silas  were  going  to  the  place  of  prayer, 
perhaps  the  spot  on  the  river  bank  where  they  had  first 
preached  Christ  in  Europe.  There  was  a  certain  young 
woman  in  the  city  who  was  a  kind  of  fortune  teller.  She 
may  have  been  afflicted  with  that  mysterious  malady 
which  in  the  New  Testament  is  called  demon  possession. 
The  men  who  had  this  young  woman  under  their  control 
made  a  great  deal  of  money  by  having  her  tell  people’s 
fortunes. 

When  this  young  woman  saw  Paul  and  Silas  she  cried 
out,  “These  men  are  servants  of  the  Most  High  God,  who 
proclaim  unto  you  the  way  of  salvation.”  She  had  done 
this  on  many  occasions  and  Paul  had  become  sorely 
troubled  about  the  matter,  so  he  turned  about  and  by  a 
word  healed  the  young  woman  of  her  peculiar  malady 
and  spiritual  condition.  The  men  who  had  the  young 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  151 


woman  under  their  care  soon  discovered  that  her  fortune¬ 
telling  powers  were  gone.  She  was  in  a  much  better 
condition  than  she  had  been,  but  her  masters  did  not 
think  of  this.  They  thought  only  of  the  loss  which  had 
come  to  them  through  the  healing  of  the  young  woman 
and  her  consequent  inability  to  act  as  a  fortune  teller. 

These  men  who  had  been  in  control  of  the  demon- 
possessed  girl  succeeded  in  stirring  up  a  riot  against  Paul 
and  Silas.  They  laid  hands  on  the  missionaries  and 
dragged  them  before  the  magistrates  of  the  city.  They 
said  to  the  city  officials,  “These  men,  being  Jews,  do  ex¬ 
ceedingly  trouble  our  city,  and  set  forth  customs  which 
it  is  not  lawful  for  us  to  receive,  or  to  observe,  being 
Romans. ”  The  Philippians  were  proud  of  their  Roman 
citizenship  and  they  were  prejudiced  against  the  Jews. 
The  enemies  of  Paul  knew  this  and  cunningly  planned 
their  charges  in  such  a  way  as  to  stir  up  the  enmity  of 
the  people  of  the  city,  and  of  the  city  officials. 

When  the  magistrates  heard  the  charge,  they  made  a 
great  show  of  being  horrified.  They  seized  Paul  and 
Silas  and  without  any  pretense  at  a  trial  tore  off  their 
clothing  and  ordered  them  to  be  flogged.  When  they 
had  laid  many  stripes  upon  them,  they  cast  them  into 
prison  and  charged  the  jailer  to  keep  them  fast.  Having 
received  this  order  of  the  magistrates,  the  jailer  put  the 
missionaries  into  the  inner  prison  and  made  their  feet 
fast  in  the  stocks. 

The  prisons  of  that  time  were  dreadful  places.  They 
were  usually  filled  with  the  lowest  and  most  degenerate 
people  of  all  the  Roman  Empire  and  they  were  places  of 
brutal  torture.  Paul  and  Silas,  however,  were  not  crushed 
into  silence  by  the  cruel  beating  and  the  gloom  of  their 
awful  abode.  At  the  hour  of  midnight  the  missionaries 
lifted  up  their  voices,  singing  psalms  and  perhaps  some 
of  the  new  Christian  songs  which  were  coming  into  ex¬ 
istence.  The  grim  population  of  the  prison  was  gathered 
around  the  crib  in  which  the  missionaries  lay  with  the 
heavy  wooden  beams  of  the  stocks  clamped  upon  their 
ankles.  Occasionally  Paul  and  Silas  ceased  their  singing 
and  lifted  their  voices  to  God  in  prayer. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  deep  roaring  sound  which  seemed 


152  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


to  come  right  up  out  of  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  The  grim 
old  prison  began  to  tremble.  The  rocks  within  the  walls 
moved,  grinding  upon  one  another.  The  great  beams  of 
the  roof  were  shaken  out  of  their  places.  The  iron- 
covered  doors  strained  upon  their  huge  hinges  and  gave 
way,  flying  open  as  the  weight  of  the  building  settled 
down  upon  the  crushed  foundations.  The  air  of  the  place 
was  filled  with  dust  and  the  lights  were  all  extinguished. 

A  Striking  Conversion.  Acts  16:27-35.  The  earth¬ 
quake  shocks  had  scarcely  ceased  when  the  jailer  came 
running  into  the  shattered  prison.  In  the  gloom  he  could 
see  that  all  the  prison  doors  were  off  their  hinges  and 
he  supposed  that  the  prisoners  had  made  their  escape. 
Under  the  stern  laws  of  that  time  his  life  would  pay  the 
penalty  for  having  allowed  the  prisoners  to  get  away. 
He  was  about  to  kill  himself,  but  Paul,  ever  a  cool-headed 
person  in  times  of  danger  and  excitement,  called  out  to 
the  jailer  to  do  himself  no  harm,  telling  him  that  all  the 
prisoners  were  still  there.  Calling  for  a  light,  the  jailer 
found  that  it  was  even  as  Paul  said. 

Perhaps  this  jailer  had  heard  something  of  the  preach¬ 
ing  of  the  missionaries  and  was  now  persuaded  that  they 
spoke  the  truth,  for  he  brought  Paul  and  Silas  out  of  the 
prison  and  said  to  them,  “Sirs,  what  must  I  do  to  be 
saved ?”  They  replied,  “Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus,  and 
thou  shalt  be  saved,  thou  and  thy  house.”  The  jailer  soon 
gave  evidence  that  he  was  genuinely  converted.  He  took 
the  missionaries  and  washed  their* wounds.  After  Paul 
and  Silas  had  given  some  further  instruction  to  the  jailer 
and  his  family,  the  whole  household  were  baptized  into 
the  fellowship  of  the  followers  of  Jesus.  There  was  now 
great  rejoicing  in  the  jailePs  household.  He  did  all  he 
could  to  make  amends  for  the  cruel  treatment  the  mis¬ 
sionaries  had  received.  He  took  them  into  his  own  home 
and  set  food  before  them. 

The  Magistrates  Are  Frightened  When  They  Learn 
that  Paul  and  Silas  Are  Roman  Citizens.  The  terrible 
earthquake  had  put  the  magistrates  in  a  different  mood 
from  that  in  which  they  had  been  when  they  abused  the 
missionaries  the  preceding  evening.  They  probably  con¬ 
nected  the  earthquake  with  Paul  and  Silas  and  were  filled 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  153 


with  superstitious  fear.  Early  in  the  morning  they  sent 
word  saying,  “Let  those  men  go.”  The  jailer  reported 
these  words  to  Paul,  but  Paul  refused  to  be  thus  dis¬ 
missed.  He  said  to  the  jailer,  “They  have  beaten  us  pub¬ 
licly,  uncondemned,  men  that  are  Romans,  and  have  cast 
us  into  prison ;  and  do  they  now  cast  us  out  privily  ?  nay 
verily;  but  let  them  come  themselves  and  bring  us  out.” 

When  the  magistrates  heard  these  courageous  words  of 
Paul  and  realized  that  they  had  beaten  Roman  citizens 
without  a  hearing,  subjecting  them  to  public  indignity 
and  casting  them  into  prison,  they  were  more  frightened 
than  they  had  been  by  the  earthquake.  They  were  willing 
to  submit  to  almost  any  humiliation  to  get  out  of  the 
predicament  into  which  they  had  gotten  themselves.  So 
they  came  to  the  prison  and  brought  the  missionaries 
forth  and  humbly  asked  them  to  go  away  from  the  city. 

Paul  and  Silas  and  the  other  members  of  the  party 
refused  to  leave  hurriedly.  They  all  went  to  the  house  of 
Lydia  and  gathered  the  Christian  believers  together  for 
a  farewell  meeting.  The  Christians  had  been  greatly 
troubled  because  of  what  had  been  done  to  Paul  and 
Silas,  but  these  two  made  light  of  the  hardships  they  had 
experienced  and  were  chiefly  concerned  to  comfort  their 
brethren  who  had  been  in  distress  and  sorrow  during  the 
time  that  the  missionaries  had  been  in  the  hands  of  the 
mob  and  in  prison.  After  the  meeting  in  the  house  of 
Lydia  was  ended,  Paul  and  his  companions  departed  from 
the  city.  It  is  believed,  however,  that  Luke  remained 
behind  in  Philippi,  possibly  to  look  after  the  work  there 
and  to  help  the  converts  to  organize  a  church. 

The  Lesson  Prayer 

Teach  us,  our  Father  in  heaven,  to  recognize  thy  guid¬ 
ance  in  all  our  life  choices.  When  we  hear  thy  voice,  help 
us  to  obey  thy  commandments,  even  though  we  may  not 
be  able  to  understand  thy  plans  or  recognize  thy  pur¬ 
poses.  Thus  lead  us  through  all  the  days  of  our  life  that 
we  may  be  always  engaged  in  the  work  that  thou  wouldest 
have  us  do  and  may  accomplish  something  for  the  up¬ 
building  of  thy  Kingdom  in  the  world  and  for  the  per- 


154  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


manent  good  of  our  fellow  men.  We  ask  in  Jesus’  name. 
Amen. 

Supplemental,  Missionary  Story 

“The  Woman  Who  Conquered  Cannibals.”  “The  Book 
of  Missionary  Heroes,”  page  196. 


EXPRESSION AL  SESSION 

THE  PLACE  OF  DIVINE  GUIDANCE  IN  A  GREAT  AND 

USEFUL  LIFE 

I  Kings  19:9-18 

Our  Scripture  lesson  tells  how  God  guided  the  Prophet 
Elijah  at  a  time  when  he  was  lonely  and  discouraged. 
God  spoke  to  his  servant,  not  through  the  storm,  nor 
through  the  earthquake,  nor  through  the  fire,  but  in  “a 
still  small  voice”  evidently  within  the  consciousness  of 
the  prophet.  God’s  guidance  is  often  mentioned  in  con¬ 
nection  with  the  lives  of  the  great  men  and  women  of 
the  Bible,  but  he  guides  people  to-day  quite  as  truly  as 
he  did  in  the  centuries  during  which  the  Bible  was  being 
written.  Every  truly  great  and  useful  life  owes  its  great¬ 
ness  and  its  usefulness  to  the  guidance  of  God.  Most 
great-souled  men  and  women  have  been  conscious  that 
they  were  led  by  an  unseen  hand.  They  have  become 
more  and  more  convinced  of  this,  the  longer  they  have 
lived.  Looking  back  across  the  years  of  life  they  have 
seen  how  God  was  guiding  them  toward  goals  of  which 
they  knew  nothing  but  which  God  surely  had  in  view. 
Thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  people  who  have 
lived  nobly  and  helpfully  have  been  as  sure  of  God’s 
guidance  in  their  lives  as  they  could  possibly  be.  Colum¬ 
bus  was  persevering  in  his  twenty  years’  quest  for  a 
means  of  sailing  westward  to  the  Indies,  because  he 
firmly  believed  that  God  was  guiding  him  and  had  chosen 
him  to  open  the  way  for  the  Christian  religion  into  the 
unknown  regions  of  the  earth.  In  the  days  just  before 
the  Civil  War,  Abraham  Lincoln  said:  “I  know  there  is 
a  God,  and  that  he  hates  the  injustice  of  slavery.  I  see 
the  storm  coming  and  I  know  that  his  hand  is  in  it.  If 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  155 


he  has  a  place  and  a  work  for  me,  and  I  think  he  has,  I 
believe  I  am  ready.” 

It  is  exceedingly  important  for  young  people  to  recog¬ 
nize  the  guiding  power  of  God  in  their  lives.  It  thus  be¬ 
comes  possible  for  them  to  cooperate  with  the  Eternal 
One.  They  need  this  consciousness  of  divine  leadership 
when  they  make  such  important  decisions  as  the  choice 
of  a  life  work.  They  need  it  as  they  undertake  to  prepare 
themselves  for  their  life  tasks.  A  consciousness  of  the 
guiding  hand  of  God  gives  a  person  patience,  confidence, 
stability  of  purpose,  diligence,  and  self-control.  These 
elements  of  character  make  for  a  truly  successful  life, 
no  matter  what  the  task  may  be  which  God  in  his  provi¬ 
dence  has  assigned  to  the  individual.  John  Wanamaker 
began  life  as  a  very  poor  boy,  but  he  became  one  of  the 
greatest  merchants  in  the  world.  His  motto  was,  “Think, 
act,  and  trust  in  God.” 

Some  Truths  erom  the  Lessons  We  Have 

Been  Studying 

God  uses  people  sometimes  as  his  instruments  for  guid¬ 
ing  other  people  into  the  right  kind  of  tasks.  He  used 
Paul  to  guide  young  Timothy  into  the  work  of  a 
missionary. 

Paul  and  his  party  were  not  far  from  Antioch  of  Pisidia. 
Half  a  thousand  miles  away  in  another  continent  a  little 
group  of  women  were  praying  for  more  light.  God 
guided  Paul  across  the  sea  that  he  might  find  this  group 
of  women  and  give  them  the  gospel  of  Jesus.  Equally 
remarkable  answers  to  prayer  and  equally  clear  cases  of 
the  guiding  hand  of  God  are  not  uncommon  to-day,  espe¬ 
cially  in  the  work  of  the  foreign  missionaries. 

Sometimes  God  leads  his  servants  through  great  afflic¬ 
tions  in  order  that  great  good  may  be  accomplished. 
Through  their  prison  experiences  Paul  and  Silas  were 
brought  to  a  place*  where  they  could  be  used  for  the  con¬ 
version  of  the  Philippian  jailer  a#d  his  family. 

Review  Questions 

1.  Tell  of  the  contention  between  Paul  and  Barnabas. 
Which  do  you  think  was  right? 


156  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 

2.  How  had  Timothy  showed  himself  worthy  to  be¬ 
come  the  helper  of  Paul? 

3.  In  what  way  did  the  visit  of  Paul  and  his  party 
help  the  churches? 

4.  Tell  how  Paul  was  guided  down  to  Troas  on  the 
Mediterranean  Sea. 

5.  How  did  he  happen  to  think  of  crossing  into 
Europe  ? 

6.  Who  was  Luke  and  what  contribution  did  he  make 
toward  the  advancement  of  the  Christian  religion  in  the 
world? 

7.  Name  the  cities  and  provinces  through  which  Paul 
and  his  companions  passed  in  their  journey  from  Antioch 
of  Syria  to  Philippi. 

8.  Tell  of  the  first  conversions  in  Europe. 

9.  Tell  of  the  circumstances  leading  to  the  conversion 
of  the  Philippian  jailer. 

10.  Did  Paul  do  right  in  refusing  to  leave  the  prison 
until  the  magistrates  came  and  brought  him  out? 

Bible  Verses 

Ps.  25  :9 ;  32 :8,  9 ;  48 :4 ;  61 :1,  2 ;  73  :23,  24 ;  77 :20 ;  139 :23, 
24;  143:10;  Isa.  58:11;  Rom.  8:14;  Gal.  5:18. 

Study  Topics 

1.  God’s  Guidance  for  Those  Who  Are  Seeking  the 
Truth.  John  16:12-14. 

2.  How  God  Led  the  Israelites  in  the  Wilderness. 
Ex.  13:21,  22. 

3.  The  Shepherd  Psalm  and  What  It  Teaches  About 
God’s  Care  for  His  People.  Psalm  23. 

4.  Abraham’s  Servant  and  His  Prayer  for  Guidance. 
Gen.  24:10-14. 

5.  An  Old  Man’s  Testimony  Concerning  God’s  Care. 
Gen.  48 :15,  16. 

6.  How  Joshua  Recognized  the  Guidance  of  God. 
Josh.,  ch.  23. 

7.  Why  It  Is  a  Good  Thing  for  Boys  and  Girls  to  Seek 
the  Guidance  of  God  at  an  Early  Age. 

8.  Qualities  of  Character  Which  Are  Developed  by 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  157 


the  Consciousness  That  God  Is  Guiding  One’s  Life.  (For 
the  pastor.) 

9.  How  Can  We  Tell  What  God  Would  Have  Us  Do? 
(For  the  teacher  of  the  class.) 

10.  One  Great  Man  or  Woman  Who  Was  Conscious 
of  the  Guidance  of  God.  (Let  each  member  of  the  class 
name  at  least  one  such  person  and  show  that  he,  or  she, 
believed  in  the  guiding  power  of  God.) 

The:  Lesson  Truth  Expressed  in  a  Law 

The  Law  of  Obedience  to  the  Divine  Guidance.  W e 

believe  that  God  wishes  to  help  every  person  to  live 
worthily  and  helpfully  and  that  he  will  guide  every  per¬ 
son  into  ways  of  spiritual  growth  and  service  if  he  is  per¬ 
mitted  to  do  so.  Therefore  : 

1.  We  will  seek  to  know  the  will  of  God  in  all  we  do 
or  plan. 

2.  We  will  strive  to  do  what  God  would  have  us  do, 
even  when  we  are  not  able  to  understand  his  purposes. 

3.  We  will  try  to  help  others  to  know  and  obey  the 
will  of  God. 

Projects  for  Putting  the  Lesson  Truths 

Into  Practice 

Have  a  quiet-hour  service  in  which  the  chief  object 
of  petition  is  for  the  guidance  of  God  in  the  plans  of  the 
class.  If  the  class  has  certain  projects  under  way,  the 
teacher  should  lead  the  pupils  to  look  on  these  tasks  as 
having  been  undertaken  and  prosecuted  under  the  guid¬ 
ance  of  God. 


CHAPTER  XII 

ENTERING  NEW  TERRITORY  AND  GRAPPLING 
WITH  NEW  DIFFICULTIES 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

FROM  PHILIPPI  TO  CORINTH 
Acts  17:1  to  18:4 

After*  leaving  Philippi,  Paul  and  his  companions  trav¬ 
eled  toward  the  southwest.  Passing  through  the  cities 
of  Amphipolis  and  Apollonia,  they  came  to  Thessalo- 
nica.  Amphipolis  is  about  thirty-three  miles  from  Philippi 
and  Apollonia  is  thirty  miles  farther  on.  The  mission¬ 
aries  followed  a  great  Roman  highway  known  as  the 
Egnatian  Way.  Paul  evidently  wished  whenever  pos¬ 
sible  to  begin  his  work  in  any  city  by  preaching  in  the 
synagogues  of  the  Jews,  thus  giving  his  fellow  country¬ 
men  the  first  opportunity  to  hear  about  the  Messiah 
whom  God  had  sent  in  fulfillment  of  his  promises  made 
to  their  forefathers.  There  were  no  synagogues  in 
Amphipolis  and  Apollonia  so  Paul  pushed  on  to  Thes- 
salonica  where  there  were  many  Jews  and  a  synagogue. 

Three  Weeks  in  Thessalonica.  Acts  17  :l-9.  Having 
decided  to  tarry  for  a  little  while  in  Thessalonica,  Paul 
went  into  the  synagogue  and  preached.  He  told  the 
people  about  Jesus.  He  told  them  of  his  teaching,  his 
acts  of  power  and  mercy,  and  his  crucifixion.  He  told 
them  about  the  resurrection  of  Jesus.  He  tried  to  lead 
his  hearers  to  see  that  the  Old  Testament  had  foretold 
just  these  facts  concerning  the  Messiah.  His  goal  was 
to  persuade  the  members  of  the  congregation  that  Jesus 
is  the  one  whom  God  had  promised  as  the  Saviour  of  the 
world. 

Some  of  the  Jews  were  persuaded  by  Paul’s  preaching 
and  declared  that  they  were  ready  to  follow  the  teachings 
of  Paul  and  Silas.  There  were  a  great  many  Greeks  con¬ 
nected  with  the  synagogue.  They  were  worshipers  of  the 
God  of  the  Jews,  proselytes,  they  were  called.  These 

158 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  159 


Greeks  in  large  numbers  accepted  the  gospel  as  it  was 
preached  by  Paul  and  Silas.  There  were  also  many  of 
the  leading  women  of  the  city  who  believed  the  message 
and  wished  to  be  considered  followers  of  Jesus. 

Just  as  in  Lystra  and  other  cities  so  in  Thessalonica 
certain  Jews,  especially  the  leaders  of  the  synagogue, 
became  jealous  of  the  popularity  of  Paul  and  Silas  among 
the  people  of  the  congregation.  There  are  some  people 
so  inherently  selfish  that  they  always  look  at  events  with 
an  eye  to  the  probable  effect  of  these  events  upon  them¬ 
selves.  The  leaders  of  the  synagogue,  after  Pau*l  had 
preached  three  Sabbaths,  raised  a  great  uproar.  They 
called  to  their  aid  the  lowest  elements  of  the  city  and 
incited  them  against  the  missionaries  just  as  the  priests 
and  Pharisees  had  enlisted  the  night  crowd  of  Jerusalem 
in  their  schemes  against  the  life  of  Jesus. 

A  certain  man  named  Jason  had  received  Paul  and  the 
other  missionaries  into  his  home.  Thinking  that  they 
might  find  the  missionaries  in  the  house  of  Jason,  the 
mob  attacked  it,  expecting  to  drag  Paul  and  his  com¬ 
panions  forth  and  stone  them.  But  Paul  was  not  in  the 
house  of  Jason,  and  neither  were  any  of  Paul’s  helpers. 
Disappointed  in  not  finding  their  intended  victims,  the 
leaders  of  the  mob  seized  Jason  and  certain  others’ who 
had  become  Christians.  They  dragged  them  before  the 
city  officials.  Certain  rumors  concerning  the  preaching 
of  Paul  and  Silas  had  evidently  found  their  way  into 
Thessalonica  before  the  arrival  of  the  missionary  party. 
The  people  of  the  city  had  probably  heard  about  the 
earthquake  in  Philippi  which  was  only  sixty-three  miles 
away  and  on  the  same  great  Roman  highway.  So  the 
leaders  of  the  mob  said  to  the  city  officials,  “These  that 
have  turned  the  world  upside  down  are  come  hither  also.” 
They  charged  Jason  and  the  other  Christians  with  receiv¬ 
ing  the  missionaries  into  their  houses  and  declared  that 
the  Christians  were  guilty  of  treasonable  acts  and  trea¬ 
sonable  teachings  in  that  they  did  contrary  to  the  decrees 
of  Caesar  and  taught  that  there  was  another  king,  one 
Jesus. 

It  was  a  time  when  any  person  who  was  suspected  of 
being  disloyal  to  the  Roman  emperor  was  in  great  peril. 


4 


160  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


The  magistrates  knew  that  they  must  at  least  show  zeal 
in  prosecuting  any  charges  of  the  kind  now  brought 
against  the  Christians.  But  they  had  not  the  missionaries 
before  them.  They  had  only  a  few  citizens  of  Thessalo- 
nica  who  had  always  been  regarded  as  good  citizens  and 
loyal  subjects  of  the  emperor.  The  rulers  thought  of  a 
shrewd  scheme  to  put  a  stop  to  the  work  of  the  mis¬ 
sionaries.  They  put  Jason  and  the  other  Christians  who 
had  been  seized  with  him  under  bond  to  keep  the  peace. 
They  had  now  made  it  impossible  for  Paul  and  his  helpers 
to  do  more  in  the  city.  If  further  work  there  had  meant 
only  possible  persecution  for  themselves,  Paul  and  his 
companions  might  have  stayed  longer,  but  now  that  Jason 
and  the  others  were  under  iDond,  further  preaching  would 
have  meant  trouble  and  possibly  death  for  Jason  and  the 
other  Christians.  Paul’s  wrath  was  kindled  by  this  de¬ 
vice  of  the  magistrates  which  stopped  his  work  in  Thes- 
salonica  and  kept  him  away  from  the  city  when  he  longed 
to  return  and  help  the  brethren  there.  In  his  letter  writ¬ 
ten  to  the  Thessalonians  from  Corinth,  he  refers  to  this 
act  of  the  magistrates  in  putting  Jason  and  the  others 
under  bond  as  a  device  of  Satan. 

Paul  Followed  by  His  Enemies.  Acts  17:10-15.  Es¬ 
caping  from  Thessalonica  by  night  Paul  and  his  party 
went  on  as  far  as  Berea,  a  city  fifty  miles  west  of  Thes¬ 
salonica.  Here  following  his  usual  custom  Paul  went 
into  the  Jewish  synagogue  and  preached  that  Jesus  is  the 
Messiah.  The  Jews  of  Berea  were  more  noble  than  the 
Jewish  leaders  of  Thessalonica.  They  did  not  become 
jealous  of  Paul  and  Silas,  but  searched  the  Scriptures  to 
see  whether  what  Paul  and  the  others  taught  was  in  har¬ 
mony  with  what  the  Old  Testament  prophets  had  said 
about  the  Messiah.  The  kind  of  Messiah  of  which  Paul 
told  was  very  different  from  the  kind  of  Messiah  they 
had  been  taught  to  expect,  but  when  they  studied  once 
more  such  great  passages  as  the  fifty-third  chapter  of 
Isaiah  they  saw  at  once  that  Jesus  had  fulfilled  in  a  won¬ 
derful  way  the  Old  Testament  predictions  concerning  the 
Messiah.  So  it  came  to  pass  that  many  Jews  and  Greeks, 
both  men  and  women,  became  professed  followers  of 
Jesus  in  Berea. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  161 


When  the  Jews  of  Thessalonica  heard  that  Paul  was 
preaching  in  Berea,  they  came  to  that  city  and  began  to 
stir  up  trouble.  It  was  thought  best  by  the  Christians  of 
Berea  and  the  members  of  the  missionary  party  to  have 
Paul  quietly  withdraw  from  the  city  rather  than  stay  and 
face  the  enemies  from  Thessalonica  and  the  mob  which 
they  were  gathering.  So  some  of  the  Christians  went 
with  Paul  down  to  the  sea  and  afterward  accompanied 
him  to  Athens.  Silas  and  Timothy,  however,  remained  in 
Berea  to  carry  on  the  work  quietly  and  to  give  the  Chris¬ 
tians  help  in  organizing  a  church.  As  these  Christian 
brethren  left  Paul  in  Athens  and  turned  homeward,  Paul 
sent  word  by  them  to  Silas  and  Timothy  telling  them  to 
hasten  on  and  join  him  in  Athens. 

Paul  Preaching  in  the  Market  Places  of  the  World’s 
Intellectual  Capital.  Acts  17:16-21.  While  Paul  waited 
in  Athens  for  Silas  and  Timothy  to  join  him,  he  rambled 
about  the  city.  Athens  was  then  the  intellectual  capital  of 
the  world  quite  as  truly  as  Rome  was  the  political  capital. 
Great  universities  were  there.  Thousands  of  students 
from  all  over  the  world  came  to  the  schools  of  Athens. 
It  was  the  center  of  art  and  literature  and  philosophy. 
Paul  noted  the  great  numbers  of  idols  erected  not  only 
in  the  temples  of  the  city,  but  everywhere  along  its  streets 
and  parks.  The  Athenians  had  erected  a  statue  to  every 
god  of  whom  they  had  ever  heard.  They  had  even 
erected  an  altar  with  the  inscription,  “To  an  Unknown 
God,”  evidently  fearing  that  they  had  slighted  some  deity. 

Paul  was  too  deeply  in  earnest  to  spend  time  in  mere 
sight-seeing.  Pie  went  into  the  synagogues  of  the  Jews 
and  preached  there  and  he  went  into  the  market  places 
and  preached  every  day.  We  are  not  told  that  Paul’s 
preaching  in  the  synagogues  of  Athens  had  any  effect 
one  way  or  the  other.  Pie  seems  not  to  have  made  any 
converts  and  likewise  not  to  have  awakened  any  violent 
opposition.  Perhaps  the  Athenian  Jews  were  just  indiffer¬ 
ent.  They  were  citizens  of  the  world’s  intellectual 
capital,  proud  of  their  learning  and  liberal  toward  new  re¬ 
ligious  doctrines,  but  with  the  liberalness  of  indifference. 

Paul’s  preaching  in  the  market  place  attracted  little  at¬ 
tention.  Some  of  the  philosophers  heard  him  speak  and 


162  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


became  mildly  interested.  They  invited  him  to  address 
their  great  gathering  known  as  the  Court  of  the  Areop¬ 
agus.  It  met  on  a  famous  spot  known  as  Mars’  Hill. 
Thus  Paul  was  given  an  opportunity  to  preach  before  the 
Stoic  and  Epicurean  philosophers  and  other  great  men 
of  the  city. 

Paul’s  Address  on  Mars’  Hill.  Acts  17 :22-34.  Paul 
was  a  great  thinker  himself  and  he  doubtless  determined 
to  do  his  best  to  persuade  this  gathering  of  Gentile  philos¬ 
ophers  that  the  religion  of  Jesus  is  the  one  true  religion 
of  the  world.  His  address  gives  evidence  of  having  been 
carefully  prepared.  He  began  courteously  and  tactfully. 
He  spoke  of  the  evidences  of  religious  interest  within  the 
city.  He  referred  to  the  altar  which  he  had  seen  and 
which  bore  the  inscription,  “To  an  Unknown  God.”  From 
this  starting  point  he  proceeded  to  tell  the  Athenians  that 
he  wished,  indeed,  to  bring  them  a  message  from  a  God 
who  was  unknown  to  them.  He  declared  that  this  un¬ 
known  God  had  made  the  world  and  all  things  therein ; 
that  he  was  the  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth  and  did  not 
dwell  in  temples  made  by  men’s  hands.  He  told  them 
that  this  God  was  the  Creator  of  men  and  the  great  First 
Cause  for  whom  all  earnest  souls  were  blindly  groping. 
He  spoke  of  the  presence  of  God  everywhere,  saying,  “He 
is  not  far  from  each  one  of  us :  for  in  him  we  live,  and 
move,  and  have  our  being.”  He  quoted  from  a  certain 
Athenian  poet  to  show  that  what  he  was  saying  was  not 
utterly  strange  even  among  pagan  people.  He  tried  to 
show  them  that  they  “ought  not  to  think  that  the  God¬ 
head  is  like  unto  gold,  or  silver,  or  stone,  graven  by  art 
and  device  of  man.” 

Paul’s  great  address  reached  its  climax  when  he  under¬ 
took  to  show  that  God  had  revealed  himself  in  the  Man, 
Christ  Jesus,  in  his  life  and  teachings,  and  especially  in 
his  death  and  resurrection.  When  some  of  the  audience 
heard  about  the  resurrection,  they  began  to  scoff.  They 
probably  thought  themselves  too  intellectual  to  believe 
anything  of  that  sort.  Some  of  the  others  had  become 
really  interested,  however,  and  expressed  a  desire  to  hear 
more  about  the  resurrection  of  Jesus.  The  address  was 
not  without  some  fruits.  A  certain  man  named  Dionysius 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  163 


who  was  a  member  of  the  court  accepted  the  Christian 
faith,  as  did  also  a  woman  named  Damaris  and  some 
others. 

Paul  Leaves  Athens  and  Goes  to  Corinth.  Acts  18  :1-4. 
Paul  left  Athens  soon  after  his  address  before  the  Court 
of  the  Areopagus.  Entering  Corinth  he  found  there  a 
Jew  named  Aquila  with  his  wife  Priscilla.  These  people 
were  tentmakers  and  Paul  made  his  home  with  them  and 
worked  with  them  at  the  task  of  making  tents.  He  soon 
began  to  preach  in  the  synagogues  on  the  Sabbath,  seek¬ 
ing  to  persuade  both  Jews  and  Greeks  to  become 
Christians. 

Suggestions  eor  Notebook  Work 

Trace  on  the  notebook  maps  the  journey  of  Paul’s 
party  from  Troas  to  Philippi,  to  Thessalonica,  to  Berea, 
to  Athens.  Locate  and  name  the  cities  through  which 
the  party  passed,  but  in  which  they  did  not  stop  to  preach. 
Picture:  Paul  Preaching  in  Athens,  by  Raphael,  No.  460. 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

COMPLETION  OF  THE  SECOND  MISSIONARY 

JOURNEY 

I  Cor.  2:1-5;  Acts  18:5-22;  Gal.  1:1-10;  3:1-14;  I  Thess. 

4:1-18 

Most  people  who  have  accomplished  great  tasks  in  life 
have  had  periods  of  deep  despondency  from  time  to  time 
as  they  have  grappled  with  vast  difficulties  and  fought 
for  their  beloved  cause  under  fearful  odds.  Elijah  had 
such  a  nervous  collapse  after  the  contest  on  Mount 
Carmel  that  he  ran  away  into  the  deserts,  lay  down  in 
the  scanty  shade  of  a  shrub,  and  wished  that  he  might 
die.  In  his  gloomy  cell  within  the  castle  of  Herod,  John 
the  Baptist  wondered  whether  he  might  not  have  been 
mistaken  in  his  declaration  that  Jesus  is  the  Messiah. 
The  very  intensity  with  which  people  of  great  devotion 
work  at  their  tasks  makes  the  danger  of  a  nervous  col¬ 
lapse  imminent.  In  this  lesson  we  shall  see  how  Paul 


164  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


had  experiences  similar  to  those  of  other  great  men ;  how 
he  at  times  seemed  almost  ready  to  give  up  in  despair. 

A  Struggle  with  Giant  Despair.  I  Cor.  2:1-5.  From 
certain  utterances  in  his  letters  it  seems  certain  that  Paul 
came  to  Corinth  in  a  state  of  great  spiritual  depression. 
Such  feelings  would  have  been  natural  for  him  at  that 
time  because  of  a  chain  of  circumstances  which  had  be¬ 
fallen  him.  Paul  had  just  made  a  great  effort  at  Athens. 
He  saw  the  great  possibilities  in  that  intellectual  center 
of  the  world.  He  knew  what  a  help  to  the  cause  of  Christ 
it  would  be  to  have  a  strong  Christian  church  in  Athens. 
His  work  in  Athens  was  not  entirely  fruitless.  One  man 
and  one  woman  are  named  as  having  accepted  the  gospel 
truth  after  Paul’s  address  before  the  Areopagus.  It  is 
also  stated  that  there  were  a  few  others  who  believed,  as 
well  as  a  number  who  expressed  a  wish  to  hear  more  con¬ 
cerning  Christianity.  Nevertheless,  Paul  did  not  succeed 
in  organizing  a  church  in  Athens.  He  doubtless  regretted 
this,  and  this  comparative  failure  probably  added  to  his 
sense  of  discouragement  as  he  turned  away  from  Athens 
and  went  on  toward  Corinth. 

During  this  time  Paul  was  alone  most  of  the  time. 
He  had  sent  word  to  his  helpers,  Silas  and  Timothy, 
asking  them  to  hasten  on  and  join  him,  but  there  seems 
to  have  been  a  long  delay  in  their  coming,  or  it  may  be 
that  they  came  and  went  away  again.  Loneliness  and 
anxiety  thus  helped  to  depress  the  spirit  of  Paul. 

About  this  time  Paul  received  discouraging  news  from 
the  church  which  he  had  established  in  Thessalonica. 
The  little  band  of  Christians  there  was  undergoing  severe 
persecutions.  More  distressing  still  was  the  report  that 
the  Christians  were  divided  into  unfriendly  parties,  one 
against  another,  and  that  many  of  those  who  professed  to 
be  followers  of  Jesus  were  falling  back  into  the  low 
standards  of  morality  which  had  characterized  them  as 
pagans.  It  looked  as  though  the  church  in  Thessalonica 
was  going  to  pieces,  because  of  the  persecutions  heaped 
upon  the  Christians  and  because  of  their  own  dissensions. 

These  facts  help  us  to  understand  what  Paul  meant 
when  he  wrote  to  the  Corinthians  that  he  was  among 
them  “in  weakness,  and  in  fear,  and  in  much  trembling.” 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  165 


Troubles  seldom  come  singly  and  a  multitude  of  discour¬ 
aging  experiences  seem  to  have  fallen  upon  Paul  at  the 
time  he  left  Athens  and  entered  Corinth. 

Paul’s  High  Resolve.  I  Cor.  2:1,  2.  Paul’s  experi¬ 
ences  in  Athens  had,  as  we  have  seen,  a  good  deal  to  do 
with  his  discouragement,  but  he  learned  a  lesson  from  this 
experience.  In  Athens  he  had  made  a  great  address.  It 
was  an  address  such  as  a  great  orator  might  have  con¬ 
sidered  as  his  masterpiece,  but  it  did  not  produce  large 
results.  When  Paul  went  to  Corinth,  he  had  made  up 
his  mind  that  he  would  henceforth  confine  his  preaching 
to  a  simple  theme.  He  determined  not  to  know  anything 
among  the  people  of  Corinth  “save  Jesus  Christ  and 
him  crucified.” 

Paul’s  Vision  of  Jesus  in  the  Hours  of  Night.  Acts 
18:10,  11.  How  long  Paul’s  sense  of  discouragement 
lasted,  we  do  not  know.  He  probably  did  not  fully  regain 
that  splendid  faith  and  courage  which  was  usually  his 
until  after  he  had  seen  Jesus  in  a  night  vision.  One  night 
Paul  seemed  to  see  Jesus  and  again  to  hear  his  voice  as 
he  had  heard  it  on  the  road  to  Damascus.  Jesus  had 
often  said  to  his  disciples  and  to  the  sick  and  discouraged 
people  who  came  to  him  for  help,  “Be  not  afraid;  be  of 
good  cheer.”  So  now  he  speaks  in  like  terms  to  his  servant 
Paul  who  is  worn  with  labors  and  hardships  and  discour¬ 
aged  by  impending  dangers  and  threatened  disasters, 
“Be  not  afraid,  but  speak  and  hold  not  thy  peace :  for  I 
am  with  thee,  and  no  man  shall  set  on  thee  to  harm  thee : 
for  I  have  much  people  in  this  city.” 

The  Missionaries  Turn  to  the  Gentiles  After  Being  Re¬ 
jected  by  the  Jews  of  Corinth.  Acts  18:5-9.  Paul  had 
begun  his  work  in  Corinth  in  his  usual  way.  He  had 
preached  in  the  synagogue  of  the  Jews.  Soon  after  Tim¬ 
othy  and  Silas  arrived  from  Macedonia,  the  Jews  set 
themselves  against  Paul  and  hindered  his  Avork  to  such 
an  extent  that  he  ceased  to  carry  on  any  teaching  in  the 
synagogues.  A  certain  man  named  Titus  Justus  had 
become  a  Christian.  His  house  was  near  the  synagogue 
and  he  offered  it  to  Paul  as  a  meeting  place  for  the  Chris¬ 
tians.  Paul’s  work  was  beginning  to  bear  fruit.  Many 
of  the  citizens  of  Corinth  had  declared  themselves  believ- 


166  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


ers  in  Jesus;  among  these  was  the  ruler  of  the  Jewish 
synagogue,  a  man  named  Crispus. 

Paul  Again  Brought  into  Court.  Acts  18:12-17.  Al¬ 
though  Paul  and  the  other  Christians  had  withdrawn 
from  the  synagogue,  they  were  not  allowed  to  pursue 
their  labors  in  peace.  Here  as  elsewhere  the  Jews  were 
determined  to  put  a  stop  to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel. 
They  seized  Paul  and  brought  him  before  the  Roman  gov¬ 
ernor,  Gallio.  They  expected  to  have  Paul  condemned,  or 
beaten  and  driven  from  the  city,  but  the  matter  turned 
out  very  differently  from  what  they  expected.  With  the 
keen  governmental  instinct  for  which  the  Romans  were 
noted,  Gallio  perceived  that  Paul  was  no  criminal,  but 
only  a  person  against  whom  the  Jews  were  prejudiced 
because  of  certain  differences  which  they  had  with  him 
on  matters  of  religion.  He  would  not  sit  in  judgment  in 
such  matters  and  ordered  the  court  room  cleared  of  the 
clamoring  Jews.  There  was  strong  prejudice  against  the 
Jews  in  Corinth  and  their  enemies  now  saw  an  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  express  their  ill  will  toward  the  Hebrew  race. 
As  the  Jews  were  driven  out  of  the  court  room,  they 
were  assaulted  by  a  mob.  Sosthenes,  who  had  now  be¬ 
come  ruler  of  the  synagogue  and  who  had  doubtless  acted 
as  spokesman  in  the  accusations  against  Paul,  was  seized 
and  beaten.  The  act  was  probably  due  to  hatred  of  the 
Jews  rather  than  to  sympathy  with  Paul  and  the  Chris¬ 
tian  religion. 

Paul’s  Writing  as  an  Aid  in  His  Work.  It  was  at  about 
this  time  that  Paul  wrote  the  first  of  the  letters  which 
have  come  down  to  us  in  the  New  Testament.  While  in 
Corinth  he  wrote  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Thessalonians. 
Filled  with  anxiety  for  the  welfare  of  his  Christian  breth¬ 
ren,  Paul  sought  to  strengthen  them  in  their  time  of  per¬ 
secution  and  to  guide  them  into  a  full  devotion  to  the 
Christian  religion.  Paul  probably  wrote  with  only  the 
handful  of  Christians  in  Thessalonica  in  mind,  but  God 
has  given  the  letter  which  he  wrote  a  usefulness  far 
beyond  any  thought  of  its  author.  It  has  been  a  help  not 
only  to  the  few  Christians  for  whom  Paul  intended  it  but 
also  for  tens  of  thousands  of  the  followers  of  Jesus  in  all 
the  centuries  which  have  passed  since  it  was  penned. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  167 


The  Thessalonians  misunderstood  and  misapplied  some 
of  the  things  which  Paul  said  in  his  first  letter  to  them, 
so  Paul  wrote  again.  By  these  letters,  and  perhaps  by 
others  which  have  been  lost,  Paul  kept  in  touch  with  the 
work  he  had  begun  in  Thessalonica  and  thus  succeeded  in 
safeguarding  them  through  the  period  of  danger.  From 
this  time  on  to  the  end  of  his  life,  writing  was  an  instru¬ 
ment  of  which  Paul  made  constant  use.  He  probably 
wrote  many  letters  which  have  been  lost.  His  letters 
which  have  been  preserved  form  a  large  part  of  the  New 
Testament  and  are  one  of  the  chief  sources  of  Christian 
truth. 

Paul  Taking  Ship  for  Home.  Acts  18:18-22.  Paul 
spent  a  year  and  a  half  in  Corinth.  Then  he  sailed  away 
for  Syria  taking  with  him  Aquila  and  Priscilla,  his  two 
friends,  who  were  tentmakers  like  himself  and  who  had 
shared  their  home  with  him  during  his  stay  in  Corinth. 
Paul’s  influence  over  these  two  friends  had  long  since  led 
them  to  accept  Jesus  as  the  Messiah  and  they  were  now 
among  Paul’s  most  efficient  helpers. 

Paul  did  not  sail  directly  to  Antioch.  He  landed  at 
Ephesus,  the  great  city  which  he  had  long  had  in  mind 
as  a  favorable  place  for  beginning  a  Christian  church. 
On  the  Sabbath  he  preached  in  the  Jewish  synagogue  of 
Ephesus  and  his  message  was  so  favorably  received  that 
the  Jews  asked  him  to  remain  longer  with  them.  He  had 
other  plans  in  view,  however,  and  told  them  that  he  must 
press  on  at  once,  but  that  he  would  come  to  them  again, 
if  God  so  willed  it,  at  some  later  time.  He  left  his  two 
friends  in  Ephesus,  however,  and  they  carried  on  the 
work  which  he  had  begun.  When  Paul  a  little  later 
reached  Ephesus  again,  he  found  conditions  favorable  for 
starting  a  large  work. 

From  Ephesus  Paul  sailed  to  Caesarea.  From  that  city 
he  made  a  hasty  trip  to  Jerusalem,  just  running  up  and 
saluting  the  church,  and  departing  forthwith.  Leaving 
Jerusalem  he  came  down  to  Antioch,  thus  completing  his 
second  missionary  journey  of  some  two  thousand  five 
hundred  miles. 

The  Letter  to  the  Galatian  Churches.  While  Paul  was 
homeward  bound,  he  had  heard  bad  news  concerning  the 


168  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


churches  which  he  had  planted  and  tended  so  carefully 
in  Derbe,  Lystra,  Iconium,  and  Antioch  of  Pisidia.  The 
Judaizers  whom  Paul  had  silenced  in  fair  debate  at  the 
Council  of  Jerusalem  were  not  convinced  by  Paul’s  argu¬ 
ments.  They  were  determined  to  undo  the  work  which 
Paul  had  accomplished.  So  they  sent  some  of  their 
number  to  visit  the  churches  which  Paul  had  organized 
in  the  cities  which  have  been  named.  These  people  came 
among  the  Christians  of  the  various  churches,  telling 
them  that  they  had  not  been  given  the  true  gospel,  that  if 
they  wished  to  be  saved  they  must  keep  all  the  customs 
of  the  Jews.  They  told  the  people  of  Derbe  and  Lystra 
and  of  the  other  towns  that  Paul  was  no  true  apostle  of 
Jesus,  that  he  had  never  seen  Jesus,  and  that  his  preach¬ 
ing  was  not  in  harmony  with  what  Jesus  had  taught. 

Of  course,  this  led  to  division  in  the  churches  and  to 
much  confusion.  Some  of  the  members  of  these  churches 
remained  faithful  to  Paul.  Many  were  persuaded  that 
they  had  been  misled.  Others  were  confused  and  hardly 
knew  what  to  believe.  News  of  this  situation  having 
reached  Paul,  perhaps  by  a  messenger,  he  was,  of  course, 
greatly  concerned  for  the  safety  of  the  churches  he  had 
planted  in  Galatia  and  for  the  cause  of  Christ  in  that 
whole  region.  He  determined  to  go  to  these  churches  as 
quickly  as  possible.  This  is  probably  why  he  refused  to 
remain  more  than  a  few  days  in  Ephesus  and  why  his 
visit  to  Jerusalem  was  so  hurried. 

Somewhere  on  his  journey,  Paul  wrote  a  letter  to  the 
churches  of  Galatia.  He  stoutly  defended  the  gospel  mes¬ 
sage  which  he  had  preached  to  them.  He  likewise  de¬ 
fended  his  right  to  be  considered  an  apostle  of  Jesus. 
He  told  the  Christians  of  the  Galatian  churches  that  it 
was  not  he  but  the  Judaizers  who  were  perverting  the 
gospel  of  Christ.  He  reproved  them  warmly  for  their 
fickleness  and  said  that  their  conduct  was  foolish.  He 
pleaded  with  them  to  maintain  their  freedom  in  Christ 
and  not  to  be  entangled  again  in  the  yoke  of  bondage. 

The:  Le:sson  Praye:r 

O  God,  our  Father,  thou  art  the  Giver  of  life,  and  thou 
canst  make  our  lives  great  and  useful.  Thou  canst  help 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  169 


us  to  overcome  our  imperfections.  Thou  canst  make  us 
to  be  like  the  heroic  men  and  women  of  history  who  have 
understood  the  truth  and  stood  for  the  truth  against  all 
opposition.  Thou  canst  help  us  to  become  like  Jesus,  thy 
Son.  We  ask  thee  to  help  us  to  be  diligent  in  school, 
kind  and  obedient  in  our  homes,  and  faithful  in  our  work 
for  thy  Church.  Guide  our  lives  that  we  may  serve  thee 
in  youth  and  in  maturity.  We  ask  in  the  name  of  thy 
Son.  Amen. 

Supplemental  Missionary  Story 

“The  Island  Beacon  Fires.”  “The  Book  of  Missionary 
Heroes,”  page  72.  _ 

EXPRESSION AL  SESSION 

GREAT  PERSONALITIES  AT  THE  CRISES  OF 

HISTORY 

Gal.  5:13-26 

Our  Scripture  lesson  is  a  part  of  the  letter  which  Paul 
wrote  to  the  Christians  of  the  Galatian  churches  at  the 
time  when  they  were  being  troubled  by  the  teachings  of 
the  Judaizers.  It  was  a  critical  time,  not  only  for  the 
Galatian  churches  but  for  the  whole  Church  of  Christ. 
The  Judaizers  had  evidently  grown  in  numbers  in  the 
Jerusalem  church.  They  were  seeking  to  make  the  Chris¬ 
tians  conform  everywhere  to  the  Jewish  customs.  If  they 
had  succeeded,  Christianity  would  have  been  greatly 
hindered  and  its  spread  over  the  Roman  Empire  would 
have  been  long  delayed.  At  the  great  crises  of  history 
God  has  usually  had  some  great-souled  person  ready  to 
save  his  cause  from  defeat.  Paul  was  the  one  whom  God 
had  chosen  for  the  crisis  which  had  now  come  in  the 
Church.  In  the  Council  of  Jerusalem  and  during  the 
years  which  followed  that  gathering  Paul  waged  a  long, 
hard  battle  against  great  odds.  He  was  fighting  for  a 
great  cause.  He  was  defending  the  true  gospel  of  Christ 
against  a  false  gospel  which  sought  to  displace  it.  In  this 
session  we  are  to  consider  how  God  has  used  certain 
great-souled  people  in  these  times  when  his  plans  have 
seemed  to  be  in  danger. 


170  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Some:  Truths  from  the:  Lessons  We:  Have: 

Been  Studying 

Paul  had  been  diligent  in  school.  He  had  passed 
through  deep  religious  experiences.  He  had  thrown  him¬ 
self  into  his  work  with  all  his  might.  He  had  been  build¬ 
ing  a  strong  character  which  made  him  fit  to  be  used  of 
God  in  matters  of  great  importance. 

Although  Paul  became  greatly  discouraged,  he  did  not 
yield  to  discouragement.  He  kept  right  on  working  at 
his  task  when  everything  seemed  to  be  going  wrong. 

Paul  made  his  friendships  count  for  Christ.  He  won 
his  fellow  tentmakers  for  the  Christian  religion. 

Paul  was  a  great  preacher,  but  he  used  other  means 
besides  preaching  for  bringing  people  into  the  Christian 
religion.  He  was  always  watching  for  an  opportunity  to 
say  a  word  for  his  Master. 

Review  Questions 

1.  Tell  of  Paul’s  experiences  in  Thessalonica. 

2.  What  success  did  the  missionaries  have  in  Berea? 

3.  What  kind  of  city  was  Athens? 

4.  Tell  of  Paul’s  experiences  in  Athens. 

5.  Why  was  Paul  discouraged  as  he  left  Athens  for 
Corinth? 

6.  What  resolution  did  Paul  make  as  to  the  nature  of 
his  preaching  in  the  future? 

7.  How  did  Paul  regain  his  courage? 

8.  Tell  of  Paul’s  experiences  in  Corinth. 

9.  What  letters  did  Paul  write  from  Corinth  and  why 
did  he  write  them? 

10.  Tell  of  Paul’s  journey  from  Corinth  to  Antioch  of 
Syria. 

Bibee  Verses 

Psalms  15;  37:37;  49:14;  51:6;  84:11;  140:13;  Prov. 
2:21;  11:14,  20;  12:19;  Mai.  2:6;  I  Tim.  3:15. 

Study  Topics 

1.  Nehemiah,  a  Strong  and  Courageous  Reader.  Neh., 
ch.  4. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  171 


2.  God’s  Vain  Search  for  a  Man.  Ezek.  22:30. 

3.  The  Change  in  Peter  Due  to  His  Fellowship  with 
Jesus. 

4.  How  God  Trained  Abraham  Lincoln  for  His  Life 
Work. 

5.  Qualities  Essential  to  a  Strong  and  Righteous 
Character. 

6.  Martin  Luther  and  the  Reformation.  (See  any  good 
Church  History.) 

7.  Paul’s  First  Letter  to  the  Thessalonians.  (Have 
some  pupil  read  the  letter  and  give  some  of  its  chief 
thoughts.) 

8.  Paul’s  Second  Letter  to  the  Thessalonians. 

9.  Paul’s  Letter  to  the  Galatian  Churches. 

10.  Youthful  Habits  Which  Hinder  Usefulness  in 
After  Life. 

The  Lesson  Truth  Expressed  in  a  Law 

The  Law  of  Strong  and  Righteous  Character.  There 
is  nothing  in  life  more  valuable  than  character.  There¬ 
fore  : 

1.  We  will  seek  to  know  what  constitutes  strong  and 
righteous  character.  We  will  study  the  lives  of  people 
who  have  lived  worthily,  serving  humanity  and  honoring 
God. 

2.  We  will  seek  to  understand  how  we  ought  to  act 
and  how  we  ought  to  feel  in  various  circumstances.  With 
this  end  in  view,  we  will  study  the  standards  of  character 
seen  in  the  great  men  and  women  of  the  Bible  and  espe¬ 
cially  manifest  in  the  character  of  Jesus.  We  will  try  to 
think  and  to  act  as  Jesus  would,  if  he  were  in  our  place. 

3.  We  will  seek  to  win  and  keep  the  friendship  of  all, 
but  we  will  not  do  that  which  we  know  to  be  wrong  in 
order  to  make  or  keep  friends  by  such  wrongdoing. 

Projects  eor  Putting  the  Lesson  Truths 

Into  Practice 

Many  crises  will  arise  in  the  carrying  on  of  the  projects 
which  the  class  has  undertaken  and  even  in  the  routine 
of  the  classroom  work.  A  teacher  in  a  week-day  church 


172  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


school  once  came  to  the  church  as  usual  but  found  all 
the  pupils  outside  the  building.  When  she  asked  them 
to  come  in,  some  of  them  refused.  Some  member  of  the 
class  had  taken  offense  at  something  which  had  been  said 
or  done  and  was  seeking  to  break  up  the  school.  At  this 
crisis  a  girl  who  was  a  real  leader  said :  “Oh,  come  on  in. 
Our  teacher  was  not  to  blame  for  what  happened,  and 
why  should  we  make  her  feel  badly  and  hinder  the  work 
of  the  school?”  That  girl  had  the  qualities  which  make 
great  leaders  in  a  time  of  crisis.  The  teacher  should  be 
on  the  watch  to  note  and  encourage  these  qualities  which 
begin  in  the  seemingly  unimportant  situations  of  child¬ 
hood  and  youth,  but  which  develop  into  that  strength  of 
personality  which  has  characterized  the  great  leaders  of 
humanity. 

The  lessons  studied  furnish  good  material  for  over¬ 
coming  any  discouragement  which  may  be  manifested  by 
members  of  the  class  with  regard  to  the  prosecution  of 
the  projects  which  have  been  undertaken. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

BEGINNING  THE  THIRD  MISSIONARY 

JOURNEY 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

A  TOUR  THROUGH  THE  UPPER  COUNTRY  TO 

EPHESUS 

Acts  18:23-28;  ch.  19 

Paul  made  only  a  brief  visit  to  his  home  church  in 
Antioch.  He  must  have  had  many  stirring  tales  to  tell 
of  his  wonderful  twenty-five-hundred-mile  journey.  But 
he  was  anxious  about  the  churches  far  away  on  the  high¬ 
lands  of  Galatia.  He  longed  to  be  on  the  move  again  that 
he  might  pass  through  this  “upper  country”  and  establish 
his  brethren  in  the  faith.  He  had  written  to  them,  but 
he  could  not  be  sure  just  what  effect  his  letter  had  pro¬ 
duced.  He  knew  that  the  only  way  to  undo  the  mischief 
which  the  Judaizers  had  done  was  to  make  a  personal 
visit  to  each  church  and  explain  matters  face  to  face  with 
those  whom  he  had  brought  into  the  Christian  faith. 

Paul  went  about  this  task  of  rebuilding  the  half-torn- 
down  congregation.  He  went  at  it  vigorously  and  sys¬ 
tematically.  He  visited  the  churches  “in  order.”  He  was 
evidently  highly  successful  in  this  undertaking  and 
speedily  put  an  end  to  the  dissensions  which  the  judaizers 
had  set  on  foot.  Luke  wrote  that  Paul  established  “all 
the  disciples.”  The  Judaizers  were  so  thoroughly  dis¬ 
credited  that  we  hear  no  more  of  them  in  the  region  of 
Galatia,  though  they  were  to  make  serious  trouble  for 
Paul  in  other  sections  a  little  later. 

Aquila  and  Priscilla  Do  Good  Work  in  Ephesus.  Acts 
18:23-28.  Paul’s  two  friends,  Aquila  and  Priscilla,  whom 
he  had  left  behind  in  Ephesus  were  busy  spreading  the 
news  of  the  gospel  in  that  city  while  Paul  was  completing 
his  journey  to  Antioch  of  Syria  and  visiting  the  churches 
of  Galatia.  A  certain  Jew  named  Apollos  who  had  been 
living  in  Alexandria  came  to  Ephesus  and  met  Aquila 
and  Priscilla.  Apollos  was  a  very  learned  man.  He  had 

173 


174  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


heard  something  of  the  preaching  of  John  the  Baptist  and 
had  become  a  follower  of  that  great  preacher  though  he 
had  never  seen  him.  When  Apollos  came  to  Ephesus  he 
went  into  the  synagogue  and  taught  the  people  about 
John  the  Baptist.  Aquila  and  Priscilla  heard  Apollos  and 
they  took  him  and  instructed  him  concerning  the  fulfill¬ 
ment  of  John’s  utterances  in  Jesus.  Apollos  had  never 
heard  of  Jesus,  but  he  accepted  him  at  once  as  the  Mes¬ 
siah  concerning  whose  coming  John  the  Baptist  had 
spoken.  Apollos  decided  to  go  across  into  Greece  and  the 
Christians  in  Ephesus  encouraged  him  to  do  so.  They 
wrote  a  letter  to  the  Christians  in  Corinth  asking  them 
to  receive  Apollos.  So  it  came  to  pass  that  Apollos  came 
into  the  church  which  Paul  had  organized  in  Corinth  and 
preached  there. 

Paul  at  Ephesus.  Acts  19:1-7.  Having  passed  through 
the  regions  of  Galatia,  Paul  pushed  on  westward  to 
Ephesus.  He  was  now  ready  to  begin  work  in  that  city 
and  to  undertake  the  carrying  out  of  plans  which  he  had 
long  had  in  mind.  He  had  not  been  in  Ephesus  long 
before  he  ran  across  some  people  who  were  professed 
followers  of  John  the  Baptist.  These  people  had  been 
baptized  as  converts  to  John’s  teaching,  but  they,  like 
Apollos,  had  never  heard  about  Jesus.  Paul  quickly  ex¬ 
plained  to  these  people  how  Jesus  had  come  and  fulfilled 
all  that  John  had  said  and  how  he  was  indeed,  “the  Lamb 
of  God,  that  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world.”  Having 
accepted  Jesus  as  their  Saviour,  these  people  were  forth¬ 
with  baptized  in  the  name  of  Jesus  and  became  members 
of  his  Church. 

A  Long  Sojourn  in  Ephesus.  Acts  19:8-10.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  when  Paul  visited  Ephesus  on  his  way 
to  Jerusalem,  and  preached  in  the  synagogue  there,  the 
Jews  asked  him  to  remain  with  them  for  a  while.  So 
when  Paul  came  back  to  Ephesus  he  went  again  to  the 
synagogue  and  preached  there  every  Sabbath.  This  con¬ 
tinued  for  three  months.  At  the  end  of  that  time  strong 
opposition  developed  against  Paul  among  the  leaders  of 
the  synagogue.  As  these  opponents  were  constantly 
hindering  his  work  and  speaking  evil  concerning  the 
Christian  religion,  Paul  decided  to  withdraw  from  the 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  175 


synagogue.  There  was  a  school  conducted  by  a  certain 
teacher  named  Tyrannus  and  it  was  near  the  synagogue. 
Paul  was  invited  to  hold  his  services  in  this  school  build¬ 
ing,  so  he  gathered  his  converts  there  and  taught  them 
every  day.  For  two  years  Paul  was  thus  teaching  daily 
and  preaching  continually  in  Ephesus. 

Ephesus  was  a  center  of  trade  and  many  people  gath¬ 
ered  there  to  see  its  great  temples  and  the  famous  idols 
within  these  temples.  Paul  had  chosen  Ephesus  because 
he  knew  that  it  would  be  a  center  from  which  the  whole 
province  of  Asia  could  be  reached.  During  these  two 
years  of  diligent  labor,  he  practically  accomplished  his 
aims,  for  Luke  says  that  “all  they  that  dwelt  in  Asia 
heard  the  word  of  the  Lord,  both  Jews  and  Greeks. ” 

Overthrowing  Superstition.  Acts  19:11-20.  Paul 
stayed  longer  in  Ephesus  than  he  had  stayed  in  any  city 
since  beginning  his  missionary  journeys  from  Antioch. 
He  became  well  known  in  the  city.  He  was  able  to  per¬ 
form  miracles  of  healing.  All  sorts  of  superstitions 
abound  among  pagan  peoples  and  this  was  especially  true 
of  Ephesus.  Certain  men  who  were  Jews  and  the  sons 
of  a  chief  priest  heard  about  Paul’s  miracles  of  healing. 
They  learned  that  he  cured  demoniacs  by  pronouncing 
over  them  the  name  of  Jesus.  These  sons  of  the  priest 
did  not  profess  to  believe  in  Jesus  but  they  tried  to  use 
the  name  of  Jesus  to  cure  demoniacs  just  as  Paul  had 
done.  Their  attempt  ended  disastrously  for  themselves, 
for  the  man  they  were  attempting  to  heal  attacked  the 
two  brothers  who  were  trying  to  cure  him.  The  power  of 
the  demoniac  was  so  great  that  he  mastered  both  men 
and  they  were  glad  to  escape  out  of  the  house  severely 
wounded  and  with  most  of  their  clothing  torn  from  them. 

This  event  made  a  profound  impression  on  the  people 
of  Ephesus.  They  saw  that  Paul  was  healing  people  not 
by  magic  but  by  some  greater  and  holier  power.  Many 
of  them  forthwith  came  forward  as  professed  followers  of 
Jesus.  Many  likewise  brought  their  books  which  told 
about  magical  art^.  Books  were  very  expensive  in  those 
days,  but  there  must  have  been,  nevertheless,  a  great 
heap  of  these  books  of  magic,  for  Luke  tells  us  that  some 
person  was  interested  enough  to  count  up  what  all  the 


176  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


books  which  were  brought  were  worth,  and  it  was  found 
that  they  were  worth  fifty  thousand  pieces  of  silver, 
about  eight  thousand  dollars  in  our  money. 

After  the  books  were  all  piled  up  together,  fire  was 
applied  to  the  great  heap  and  a  magnificent  bonfire  lighted 
up  the  streets  of  Ephesus.  Paganism  was  crumbling 
before  the  light  of  Christianity.  Luke  says  in  his  inter¬ 
esting  way,  “So  mightily  grew  the  word  of  the  Lord  and 
prevailed.” 

Longing  for  New  and  More  Distant  Fields  of  Labor. 

Acts  19:21,  22.  Having  been  in  Ephesus  for  two  years, 
Paul  began  to  grow  restless  again.  He  was  longing  to 
see  once  more  the  brethren  in  distant  lands,  longing,  too, 
for  the  opportunity  to  carry  the  gospel  into  regions  where 
it  had  never  been  preached  before.  With  his  usual  care 
he  mapped  out  a  journey.  He  planned  to  cross  over  into 
Macedonia  to  visit  the  Christians  in  Philippi,  Thessa- 
lonica,  and  Berea.  From  Macedonia  he  planned  to  go 
on  south  into  Greece,  visiting  the  Christians  of  Athens 
and  Corinth.  From  Corinth  he  hoped  to  go  to  Jerusalem. 
He  had  hopes  that  after  visiting  Jerusalem  he  might  sail 
away  to  Rome  and  there  preach  the  gospel  of  Jesus  in  the 
great  capital  of  the  world. 

Paul  was  not  able  to  begin  this  journey  as  soon  as  he 
had  expected.  On  the  contrary,  he  remained  in  Ephesus 
for  a  considerable  time  and  sent  his  helpers  Timothy  and 
Erastus  into  Macedonia.  Luke  does  not  tell  us  why  Paul 
decided  to  remain  a  while  longer  in  Ephesus,  but  Paul 
tells  us  in  a  letter  which  he  wrote  to  the  Christians  in 
Corinth  at  about  this  time.  He  says,  “But  I  will  tarry  at 
Ephesus  until  Pentecost ;  for  a  great  door  and  effectual 
is  opened  unto  me,  and  there  are  many  adversaries.” 
Paul,  therefore,  had  two  reasons  for  staying  a  while 
longer  in  Ephesus.  The  first  was  the  great  opportunity 
offered  for  Christian  work  in  that  city.  The  second  was 
the  fact  that  there  were  many  opponents  there  and  he  felt 
that  he  ought  to  stay  and  fight  it  out  rather  than  go  away 
and  leave  the  battle  to  his  fellow  Christians. 

The  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians.  During  his  stay 
in  Ephesus  Paul  heard  bad  news  concerning  the  church 
in  Corinth.  The  Christians  there  had  divided  into  un- 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  177 


friendly  factions.  Some  of  them  claimed  to  be  followers 
of  Paul.  Others  called  themselves  followers  of  Apollos. 
The  Corinthian  Christians  had  not  entirely  broken  away 
from  the  sinful  ways  which  were  so  common  among  the 
pagans.  There  had  been  quarreling  among  them  and 
they  had  sued  one  another  in  the  courts.  There  were 
Judaizers  in  the  Corinthian  church  who  were  continually 
stirring  up  trouble  because  some  of  the  Christians  bought 
meat  which  had  been  offered  to  idols  and  used  it  for  food. 

It  may  be  that  some  of  the  Judaizers  from  Jerusalem 
had  found  their  way  to  Corinth.  Some  persons  there  had 
been  gossiping  about  Paul.  They  had  said  that  he  was 
no  apostle,  that  he  was  a  vain  and  boastful  sort  of  person, 
and  that  he  was  avariciously  trying  to  gain  riches  and 
honor  for  himself.  The  assertion  that  Paul  was  avari¬ 
cious  was  especially  scandalous  since  he  had  worked  as 
a  tentmaker  to  support  himself  while  in  Corinth.  Gos¬ 
sips  of  that  day  had  small  regard  for  the  facts,  however, 
and  it  is  the  same  with  gossips  to-day. 

It  was  especially  distressing  to  Paul  to  learn  that  some 
of  those  who  professed  to  be  Christians  were  making  the 
Lord’s  Supper  a  kind  of  pagan  feast.  Certain  persons 
had  even  appeared  at  the  Lord’s  table  intoxicated.  It 
was  enough  to  make  Paul  sad  and  discouraged  to  hear 
these  reports  concerning  the  church  where  he  had  labored 
so  hard  for  more  than  a  year  and  a  half.  But  he  spent 
no  time  mourning  over  matters.  He  wrote  to  the  church, 
trying  earnestly  to  set  the  erring  Christians  right;  he 
sent  some  of  his  helpers  to  Corinth  and  planned  to  visit 
the  city  himself  as  soon  as  he  could. 

A  Riot  in  Ephesus  Brings  Paul’s  Work  There  to  a 
Close.  Acts  19:23-41.  Paul  had  so  far  won  out  over 
the  Jews  of  Ephesus  that  they  were  no  longer  able  to 
give  him  much  trouble.  He  had  won  the  friendship  of 
some  of  the  leading  people  of  the  city  and  of  the  officials 
who  ruled  the  city  under  the  Romans.  It  was  an  uprising 
of  the  Gentiles  which  finally  caused  Paul  to  withdraw 
from  the  city.  There  was  a  great  temple  of  Diana  in 
Ephesus,  containing  a  magnificent  statue  of  the  goddess. 
Many  visitors  came  to  Ephesus  to  see  this  temple  and  the 
.statue  of  Diana.  Certain  Ephesians  made  great  profit 


178  PAUL,  TtlE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


through  manufacturing  little  images  of  the  goddess  Diana 
which  they  sold  to  these  visitors. 

These  sellers  of  images  were  keen  enough  to  see  that 
if  Christianity  continued  to  grow  in  Ephesus  and 
throughout  the  surrounding  region,  it  would  in  time  put 
a  stop  to  their  business.  So  under  the  leadership  of  a 
silversmith  named  Demetrius  they  raised  a  great  uproar 
against  Paul  and  the  Christians.  They  seized  two  of 
Paul’s  helpers,  Gaius  and  Aristarchus,  and  dragged  them 
into  the  theater. 

Having  heard  what  was  going  on,  Paul  determined  to 
go  out  and  face  the  mob,  but  his  companions  would  not 
let  him  do  so.  Some  of  the  city  officials  also  sent  word 
asking  Paul  to  keep  under  cover.  After  the  mob  had 
howled  for  some  two  hours,  the  town  clerk  succeeded  in 
making  himself  heard  and  in  a  masterful  way  he  caused 
the  mob  to  disband  and  the  people  to  go  to  their  homes. 
Believing  that  his  continued  presence  in  the  city  would 
now  do  more  harm  than  good,  Paul  prepared  to  leave 
Ephesus  at  once. 

Suggestions  eor  Notebook  Work 

Trace  on  the  notebook  maps  Paul’s  journey  from 
Athens  to  Corinth,  to  Ephesus,  to  Caesarea,  to  Jerusalem, 
to  Antioch  of  Syria,  where  the  second  missionary  jour¬ 
ney  ended.  Trace  his  third  missionary  tour  from  An¬ 
tioch  of  Syria  to  Derbe,  Lystra,  Iconium,  Antioch  of  Pi- 
sidia  and  thence  to  Ephesus.  Add  to  the  Chronological 
Table  of  Paul’s  Life  the  following  items : 

From  Antioch  Through  the  “Upper  Country,”  A.  D. 
52. 

The  Long  Sojourn  in  Ephesus,  A.  D.  52-55. 

Picture:  St.  Paul  Preaching  at  Ephesus,  by  Le  Sueur, 
No.  449. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  179 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

THROUGH  MACEDONIA  TO  CORINTH  AND  BACK 
THROUGH  MACEDONIA  TO  TROAS 

Acts  20:1-12;  Rom.  1:1-17 

The  riot  in  Ephesus  had  brought  about  a  situation 
wherein  Paul’s  continued  presence  in  the  city  was  likely 
to  cause  a  great  deal  of  disturbance  and  to  produce  more 
harm  than  good.  Paul  had  often  faced  dangers  far  more 
grave  than  now  threatened  him  in  Ephesus.  He  had 
friends  among  the  officials  of  the  city  and  there  were 
many  Christians  in  Ephesus  so  it  is  not  likely  that  his 
enemies  could  have  done  him  personal  violence.  But  Paul 
was  not  stubborn  in  his  dealings  with  his  opponents.  He 
was  willing  to  face  death  for  the  good  of  the  cause  he 
loved  or  he  was  willing  to  run  away  for  the  good  of  the 
same  cause.  He  thought  the  matter  over  and  decided  it 
would  be  best  for  him  to  leave.  He  had  long  hoped  to 
visit  again  the  churches  he  had  established  in  Macedonia 
and  in  Greece  and  now  the  time  to  carry  out  these  plans 
seemed  to  have  arrived. 

Paul  Visits  the  Churches  of  Macedonia.  Acts  20:1,  2. 
After  the  uproar  of  the  riot  had  ceased  and  the  people 
had  dispersed  to  their  homes,  Paul  called  together  some 
of  his  Christian  brethren  and  told  them  of  his  determina¬ 
tion  to  depart  from  the  city  at  once.  He  exhorted  them 
to  remain  faithful  to  the  cause  of  Christ  and  then  bade 
them  good-by.  Paul  probably  traveled  from  Ephesus  to 
Troas  by  land  and  from  that  seaport  departed  for  Philippi 
by  ship.  From  Philippi  he  retraced  the  course  of  his 
previous  journey  over  the  Egnatian  Way  to  Thessalonica 
and  Berea.  Luke  sums  up  this  visit  of  Paul  to  the  Mace¬ 
donian  churches  with  the  brief  statement  that  Paul  gave 
them  “much  exhortation.”  Paul’s  intention  on  this  trip 
was  to  establish  the  Christians  in  the  religion  of  Jesus 
rather  than  to  win  new  converts  to  the  faith. 

Three  Months  in  Greece.  Acts  20:3.  From  Mace¬ 
donia  Paul  went  on  into  Greece  where  he  spent  three 
months  visiting  the  churches  and  exhorting  the  Chris¬ 
tians  to  be  faithful  and  teaching  them  more  perfectly 
what  it  means  to  be  a  follower  of  Jesus.  He  probably 


180  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


visited  the  Christians  who  were  in  Athens.  It  may  be 
that  by  this  time  a  church  had  been  established  there. 
We  know  that  a  Christian  church  had  sprung  up  in 
Cenchrese  not  far  from  Corinth  and  there  may  have  been 
many  of  these  new  churches  which  had  grown  out  of  the 
work  of  the  church  in  Corinth.  Doubtless  most  of  the 
three  months  was  spent  in  Corinth.  Paul  was  anxious  to 
correct  the  errors  and  divisions  which  had  crept  into  the 
Corinthian  church  during  his  absence  and  concerning 
which  he  had  written  to  the  Corinthian  Christians. 

When  Paul  was  about  to  set  sail  for  Syria  and  his 
home  church  in  Antioch,  it  was  discovered  that  his 
enemies  had  laid  a  plot  to  kill  him.  It  will  be  remem¬ 
bered  that  during  his  first  visit  to  Corinth  the  enemies 
of  Paul  had  seized  him  and  brought  him  before  the 
Roman  proconsul,  Gallio.  Their  attempt  to  discredit 
Paul  and  to  harm  him  on  that  occasion  had  returned  upon 
their  own  heads,  for  they  had  been  driven  from  the  court 
room,  mobbed  by  the  Gentile  multitudes,  and  their  leader 
had  been  severely  beaten.  We  need  not  be  surprised, 
therefore,  to  learn  that  on  this  occasion  the  enemies  of 
Paul  made  no  attempt  to  have  him  brought  to  trial 
before  the  Roman  proconsul.  They  plotted  secretly  to 
kill  him.  This  plot  was  doubtless  to  be  carried  out  on 
board  the  ship  which  was  to  carry  Paul  to  Syria.  The 
cunning  plotters  laid  their  plans  to  kill  Paul  beyond  the 
domains  of  Gallio  and  upon  the  high  seas.  Having 
learned  of  this  plot  against  his  life,  Paul  foiled  his  enemies 
by  changing  his  plans.  He  determined  to  return  by  land 
through  Macedonia  rather  than  by  sea  direct  to  Syria. 

Another  Visit  to  the  Churches  of  Macedonia.  Acts 
20:5,  6.  Paul  was  thus  enabled  to  visit  the  churches  of 
Macedonia  which  he  had  visited  only  about  three  months 
before.  Paul  now  had  with  him  a  considerable  company 
of  people.  At  least  seven  helpers  were  with  him  on  this 
journey  through  Macedonia.  These  helpers  were  Sop- 
ater,  of  Berea,  Aristarchus  and  Secundus,  of  Thessa- 
lonica,  Gaius,  of  Derbe,  Tychicus  and  Trophimus,  of 
Asia,  and  Timothy,  of  Lystra.  We  see  from  this  that 
Paul  was  gathering  a  corps  of  workers  out  of  the  various 
churches  which  he  had  organized. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  181 


As  the  party  came  near  to  Philippi,  Paul  sent  all  of  his 
helpers  on  across  the  sea  to  Troas  while  he  alone  went 
on  into  that  city.  At  Philippi,  Paul  again  met  Luke,  who 
had  evidently  been  in  that  city  ever  since  Paul’s  first 
visit  there.  Luke  now  joined  Paul  and  they  set  sail  for 
Troas.  They  must  have  run  into  contrary  winds  for  it 
took  them  five  days  to  cover  the  distance  between  Neap- 
olis,  the  seaport  of  Philippi,  and  Troas.  They  had  cov¬ 
ered  the  same  distance  on  their  first  missionary  journey 
in  less  than  two  days.  At  Troas,  Paul  and  Luke  joined 
the  other  seven  men  who  had  gone  on  ahead  and  the  nine 
men  then  tarried  in  Troas  seven  days,  preaching  and 
teaching  and  helping  the  Christians  to  organize  more 
fully  the  church  which  had  grown  up  there. 

An  All-Night  Meeting  in  Troas.  Acts  20:7-12.  Luke 
recounts  one  incident  of  the  period  spent  by  the  mis¬ 
sionary  party  in  Troas.  This  account  is  interesting  not 
only  because  of  the  events  described  but  also  because  of 
what  it  suggests  as  to  the  methods  of  the  missionaries 
and  the  conditions  under  which  they  labored.  On  Sun¬ 
day  evening  there  was  a  kind  of  farewell  meeting,  as 
Paul  planned  to  depart  with  his  companions  early  Mon¬ 
day  morning.  The  meeting  was  held  in  an  upper  cham¬ 
ber.  There  must  have  been  a  considerable  company  of 
people,  if  the  chamber  was  at  all  large,  for  the  room  was 
so  crowded  that  some  of  the  people  had  to  sit  in  the  win¬ 
dows.  So  intensely  interested  were  both  the  listeners  of 
Paul  and  Paul  himself  that  the  meeting  kept  right  on  until 
midnight.  It  might  have  continued  longer  if  an  inter¬ 
ruption  had  not  occurred.  A  certain  lad  named  Eutychus 
was  sitting  in  one  of  the  windows.  He  became  sleepy 
because  of  the  lateness  of  the  hour  and  because  of  the 
condition  of  the  atmosphere,  which  had  become  oppres¬ 
sive  due  to  the  many  lights  in  the  room  and  the  large 
number  of  people  gathered  there.  This  lad  fell  asleep 
and  dropped  out  of  the  window.  As  the  congregation 
rushed  down  and  lifted  up  the  boy,  he  was  thought  to  be 
dead,  but  Paul  asked  the  relatives  and  friends  not  to 
make  any  ado,  telling  them  that  the  boy  was  alive. 

The  congregation  then  went  back  to  the  upper  room 
and  the  meeting  was  resumed.  They  partook  of  the 


182  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


communion  of  the  Lord’s  Supper  and  afterward  Paul 
talked  with  the  people  until  the  break  of  day.  As  he 
bade  the  people  good-by,  some  of  them  brought  forth 
the  lad  who  had  fallen  out  of  the  window.  He  was  now 
so  far  recovered  that  he  could  walk  with  some  assistance 
and  all  the  people  were  glad. 

Letters  Written  by  Paul  During  That  Part  oe  His 
Journey  Which  We  Have  Studied  in  This  Lesson 

Paul  had  begun  to  write  to  various  churches  some  time 
before  the  events  which  have  been  studied  in  this  lesson. 
During  his  first  sojourn  in  Corinth  he  had  written  his 
two  letters  to  the  Thessalonians.  A  little  later,  probably 
on  a  ship  bound  from  Corinth  to  Ephesus,  he  wrote 
his  Epistle  to  the  Galatians.  Coming  again  to  Ephesus 
to  take  up  what  proved  to  be  a  two-years’  residence 
there  he  wrote  his  first  letter  to  the  Corinthians.  Dur¬ 
ing  the  time  studied  in  this  lesson  he  wrote  two  more 
letters. 

The  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians.  After  writing 
the  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  Paul  sent  Titus  to 
Corinth  as  his  personal  representative,  hoping  that  this 
young  helper  of  his  might  be  able  to  straighten  out 
the  snarls  which  had  developed.  Paul  had  directed  Titus 
to  join  him  at  Troas  but  when  he  reached  that  city  from 
Ephesus,  Titus  did  not  appear.  Paul  was  again  much 
discouraged  just  as  he  had  been  when  he  first  came  to 
Corinth.  He  was  alone  in  Troas.  He  had  been  com¬ 
pelled  to  flee  from  Ephesus  and  the  work  he  had  begun 
there  seemed  in  grave  danger.  He  had  hoped  to  meet 
Titus  in  Troas  and  to  learn  of  the  results  of  his  visit  to 
the  Corinthian  church.  He  knew  that  the  cause  of  Christ 
in  Corinth  was  in  great  peril  and  the  prolonged  stay  of 
Titus  seemed  to  be  an  omen  of  impending  disasters.  The- 
intense  anxiety  of  Paul  was  relieved  when  Titus  finally 
joined  him  somewhere  in  Macedonia.  Paul  forthwith 
wrote  another  letter  to  the  Corinthians,  sending  Titus 
back  to  Corinth  with  it.  Titus  had  reported  the  complete 
success  of  his  mission  and  the  gladdened  spirit  of  Paul  is 
very  evident  in  the  letter  which  he  wrote  after  the  coming 
of  Titus. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  183 


The  Epistle  to  the  Romans.  After  reaching  Corinth 
on  the  trip  which  we  have  been  studying  in  this  lesson, 
Paul  wrote  one  of  the  greatest  of  his  epistles.  Up  to  this 
time,  so  far  as  we  know,  he  had  written  only  to  churches 
where  he  had  been  and  which  he  had  established  himself. 
In  Corinth  he  wrote  to  the  Christians  in  Rome.  Paul  had 
never  been  in  Rome  at  the  time,  so  far  as  we  know,  but 
he  was  longing  to  go  there  and  he  had  many  acquaint¬ 
ances  there. 

In  this  letter  Paul  went  deeply  into  the  great  truths  of 
the  Christian  religion.  In  it  Paul  has  shown  himself  to 
be  one  of  the  greatest  thinkers  the  world  has  even  known. 
His  work  is  all  the  more  remarkable  when  we  consider 
that  Paul  was  not  a  person  who  lived  apart  from  men  as 
many  of  the  great  thinkers  of  the  world  have  done.  He 
wrote  this  greatest  of  his  epistles  in  the  midst  of  busy 
days.  No  such  material  as  that  contained  in  the  Epistle 
to  the  Romans  can  be  produced,  however,  without  pro¬ 
longed  and  deep  meditation.  It  may  be  that  the  sub¬ 
stance  of  the  epistle  took  form  in  Paul’s  mind  during  the 
three  lonely  years  he  spent  in  the  wilderness  of  Arabia, 
and  that  it  had  been  growing  within  his  consciousness 
during  all  the  years  of  toil  and  struggle. 

The  Lesson  Prayer 

We  give  thee  thanks,  our  Father  in  heaven,  for  the  les¬ 
sons  contained  in  the  Bible.  We  thank  thee  for  the  story 
of  Jesus  and  for  the  stories  concerning  his  consecrated  fol¬ 
lowers  who  endured  hardships  and  underwent  prolonged 
labors  for  the  cause  of  Christ.  Impress  upon  our  minds 
the  lessons  contained  in  these  noble  lives.  Help  us  to  see 
how  faithful  and  diligent  these  servants  of  Jesus  were. 
Give  us  hearts  that  are  willing  to  follow  the  example  they 
have  left  to  us.  Teach  us  to  love  hard  work,  because  it  is 
one  of  the  greatest  of  thy  instruments  for  overcoming 
evil  and  establishing  righteousness  in  the  earth.  We  ask 
in  the  name  of  Jesus,  thy  Son.  Amen. 

Suppeementae  Missionary  Story 

“Kapiolani,  the  Heroine  of  Hawaii.”  “The  Book  of 
Missionary  Heroes,”  page  86. 


184  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


EXPRESSION AL  SESSION 

THE  PLACE  OF  DILIGENCE  IN  A  GREAT  AND 

USEFUL  LIFE 

Matt.  25 : 14-30 

Our  Scripture  lesson  is  one  of  the  great  parables  of 
Jesus.  This  parable  has  many  lessons,  but  we  are  to 
study  it  now  with  the  aim  of  learning  what  it  has  to  teach 
us  concerning  the  necessity  for  diligence.  The  man  who 
received  five  talents  and  the  man  who  received  two  both 
did  something  with  the  money  they  received.  Perhaps 
the  two-talent  man  worked  as  hard  as  the  five-talent  man 
and  therefore  he  received  the  same  commendation:  “Well 
done,  good  and  faithful  servant :  thou  hast  been  faithful 
over  a  few  things,  I  will  set  thee  over  many  things ; 
enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  lord.” 

The  man  who  received  one  talent  was  not  a  diligent 
servant.  He  was  honest  enough  in  a  certain  way,  for  h'e 
kept  his  Lord’s  money  safe.  He  had  persuaded  himself 
that  the  safest  thing  to  do  was  to  bury  the  money  he  had 
received.  He  said  he  did  this  because  he  knew  his  master 
to  be  a  hard  man.  Pie  said  that  he  was  afraid  to  risk 
using  the  money.  He  may  have  believed  what  he  said, 
for  people  are  often  self-deceived.  The  master,  however, 
knew  the  real  reason.  He  knew  that  this  servant  had  not 
hidden  the  money  because  he  was  afraid  that  he  might 
lose  it  in  buying  and  selling,  but  because  he  had  a  distaste 
for  diligent  labor.  This  is  seen  in  the  master’s  words, 
“Thou  wicked  and  slothful  servant.”  His  wickedness  and 
his  slothfulness  were  closely  related. 

Among  the  people  who  have  lived  truly  great  and  use¬ 
ful  lives,  there  have  been  great  differences  in  disposition 
and  in  habits.  One  habit  has,  however,  been  common  to 
all.  They  have  all  been  great  workers.  Some  people  have 
lived  great  and  useful  lives  in  spite  of  certain  grave  Im¬ 
perfections  of  character,  but  no  person  has  ever  so  lived 
while  indulging  in  laziness.  Great  life  accomplishments 
are  more  largely  and  more  often  due  to  hard  work  than 
to  genius. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  185 


Some:  Truths  from  the  Lessons  We  Have 

Been  Studying 

Paul  did  not  let  his  feelings  hinder  his  habits  of  dili¬ 
gence.  He  worked  right  on  just  the  same  whether  he  was 
discouraged  almost  to  the  point  of  despair  or  bubbling 
over  with  joyful  enthusiasm. 

Diligence  is  contagious.  All  who  became  associated 
with  Paul  seemed  to  put  new  vigor  into  what  they  did 
because  of  their  contact  with  the  great  apostle. 

Paul  practiced  what  he  preached.  Pie  told  young  Tim¬ 
othy  to  give  himself  wholly  to  his  tasks.  He  was  only 
asking  Timothy  to  do  what  he  did  himself. 

If  Paul  had  been  governed  by  his  moods,  he  could 
never  have  accomplished  his  great  task.  Suppose  that  he 
had  written  or  preached  only  when  he  felt  just  right. 
The  needs  of  the  situation  and  not  his  own  moods  gov¬ 
erned  the  matter.  He  wrote  to  the  Corinthians  when  he 
was  deeply  discouraged  because  he  believed  a  letter  from 
him  might  help  them  and  he  wrote  to  them  when  he  was 
made  glad  by  the  coming  of  Titus  because  he  believed 
that  another  letter  was  needed. 

Review  Questions 

1.  Tell  of  Paul’s  visit  to  the  churches  of  Galatia. 

2.  Who  were  Aquila  and  Priscilla  and  how  did  they 
help  Paul? 

3.  Tell  of  some  events  which  took  place  during  Paul’s 
long  sojourn  in  Ephesus. 

4.  Why  did  Paul  write  his  first  letter  to  the  Corinthi¬ 
ans  and  from  what  city  was  it  written  ? 

5.  Tell  of  the  riot  in  the  city  of  Ephesus. 

6.  Tell  of  Paul’s  trip  through  Macedonia. 

7.  Tell  of  the  plot  against  Paul’s  life  in  Corinth. 

8.  Name  some  of  Paul’s  helpers  who  accompanied  him 
on  the  trip  from  Corinth  through  Macedonia  to  Troas. 

9.  Where  and  for  what  purpose  did  Paul  write  the 
Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians? 

10.  Where  and  for  what  purpose  was  the  letter  to  the 
Romans  written? 


186'  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 

Bibee  Verses 

Ex.  15:26;  Deut.  4:9;  6:6-9;  Josh.  1:7-9;  Ezra  7:23; 
Prov.  10:4;  22:29;  Zech.  6:15;  Heb.  6:11,  12;  II  Peter 
3-14. 

Study  Topics 

1.  The  Diligence  of  Jesus  Shown  by  a  Day  in  His 
Life.  Mark  1  :21-35. 

2.  Events  in  Paul’s  Life  Which  Show  His  Diligence. 

3.  The  Diligent  Pursuit  of  Wisdom.  Prov.  2:1-5. 

4.  A  Picture  of  Christian  Character  Drawn  by  the  Pen 
of  Paul.  Rom.  12:9-21. 

5.  Does  a  Task  Become  More  Interesting  if  a  Person 
Works  at  It  Diligently? 

6.  A  Great  Inventor  Who  Worked  at  His  Task  Dili¬ 
gently.  (See  a  life  of  Eli  Whitney.) 

7.  A  Great  Author  Who  Worked  Diligently.  (See  a 
life  of  Sir  Walter  Scott.) 

8.  The  Diligence  of  a  Great  Missionary.  (See  a  life 
of  Livingstone.) 

9.  Why  We  Should  Be  as  Diligent  in  Our  Church 
School  Tasks  as  in  Our  Public  School  Tasks. 

10.  The  Diligence  of  God  as  Shown  in  His  Acts  of 
Creation  and  in  His  Works  of  Redemption.  (For  the 
pastor.) 


The  Lesson  Truth  Expressed  in  a  Law 

The  Law  of  Diligence.  No  task  of  much  importance  is 
ever  accomplished  without  diligent  labor.  Therefore  : 

1.  We  will  be  diligent  in  our  studies  both  in  the 
church  school  and  in  the  school  where  we  receive  instruc¬ 
tion  in  the  secular  branches. 

2.  We  will  be  diligent  in  the  tasks  to  which  we  are 
assigned  by  our  parents  or  others  in  authority  over  us, 
knowing  that  by  diligence  in  small  undertakings  we 
develop  a  habit  which  will  be  most  helpful  in  great 
undertakings. 

3.  We  will  strive  diligently  after  that  righteous  and 
strong  character  which  is  developed  in  those  who  are  the 
true  and  faithful  followers  of  Jesus. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  187 


Projects  tor  Putting  the  Lesson  Truths 

Into  Practice 

The  prolonged  and  successful  pursuit  of  almost  any 
project  will  tend  to  develop  the  habit  of  diligence.  There 
is  grave  danger  that  project  work,  however,  may  develop 
qualities  of  character  exactly  opposite  to  diligence,  if  it 
is  undertaken  and  pursued  m  a  half-hearted  way.  The 
teacher  should  take  care  to  see  that  every  project  is  either 
carried  out  diligently  or  exchanged  for  some  other  under¬ 
taking  which  can  be  given  more  enthusiastic  effort. 

A  good  project  for  the  class  to  undertake  at  this  time 
might  be  summed  up  in  the  title,  “Diligent  Preparation 
of  Church  School  Lessons  for  One  Month.”  If  the  teacher 
can  persuade  every  member  of  the  class  to  undertake  this 
project  with  interest  it  will  be  found  to  be  an  accomplish¬ 
ment  well  worth  while.  Have  pupils  set  apart  an  amount 
of  time  for  the  preparation  of  church-school  lessons  which 
corresponds  with  the  amount  of  time  used  in  the  prepara¬ 
tion  of  public-school  lessons  of  like  length  and  character. 
Lead  pupils  to  note  the  difference  which  diligent  prepara¬ 
tion  makes  in  the  class  recitations  and  in  their  personal 
interest  in  the  subjects  studied. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


COMPLETION  OF  THE  THIRD  MISSIONARY 

JOURNEY 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

FROM  TROAS  TO  JERUSALEM 
Acts  20:13-38;  21:1-16 

We  have  seen  that  Paul  was  a  man  of  great  intellectual 
power.  Such  people  are  sometimes  of  a  disposition  which 
makes  it  difficult  to  become  well  acquainted  with  them. 
Their  greatness  of  intellect  seems  to  lift  them  above  their 
fellow  men,  rendering  any  intimacies  with  them  hard  to 
attain.  This  was  not  at  all  true  of  Paul.  If  we  catch 
the  message  of  this  lesson,  we  shall  see  that  he  was  one 
of  the  most  friendly  and  approachable  of  men. 

A  Twenty-Mile  Walk.  Acts  20:13-16.  Paul  must 
have  been  a  man  of  no  mean  physical  strength.  After 
preaching  all  night  in  Troas,  he  told  his  companions  to 
go  aboard  a  ship  bound  southward  along  the  coast.  He 
told  them  that  he  was  going  to  proceed  on  foot  and  meet 
the  ship  at  Assos,  twenty  miles  down  the  coast.  He  esti¬ 
mated  that  he  could  be  there  as  soon  as  the  ship,  since 
the  road  ran  directly  to  Assos  while  the  ship  would  have 
to  sail  around  a  cape  extending  some  miles  out  to  sea. 
Perhaps  Paul  wished  a  little  time  for  meditation  and  ex¬ 
pected  to  find  opportunity  for  thinking  as  he  walked 
along  the  highway  that  led  from  Troas  to  Assos. 

Having  taken  Paul  on  board  at  Assos,  the  ship  sailed 
on  to  Mitylene,  a  city  of  some  size  lying  upon  the  island 
of  Lesbos.  Sailing  away  from  Mitylene,  the  ship  the 
next  day  brought  the  travelers  within  sight  of  the  island 
of  Chios  lying  toward  the  westward.  Without  making 
a  landing  on  the  island  of  Chios  the  travelers  proceeded 
on  southward  through  the  night  and  the  following  day 
tied  up  for  a  little  while  at  some  port  of  the  island  of 
Samos.  Another  night’s  sailing  brought  the  ship  to  the 
docks  of  Miletus. 


188 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  189 


A  Tender  Farewell  to  the  Ephesian  Elders.  Acts 
20:17-36.  Miletus  was  only  thirty-six  miles  from  Ephe¬ 
sus,  but  Paul  had  made  up  his  mind  not  to  visit  that  city 
on  the  journey  he  was  then  pursuing.  He  was  anxious 
to  be  in  Jerusalem  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  and  feared 
that  a  visit  to  Ephesus  would  be  necessarily  so  prolonged 
that  he  would  fail  to  reach  Jerusalem  at  the  desired  date. 
He  wished  to  meet  his  friends  of  Ephesus  again,  espe¬ 
cially  the  officers  of  the  church  which  he  had  organized 
there  and  in  which  he  had  labored  for  two  or  three  years. 
So  he  sent  word  to  the  elders  of  the  church  in  Ephesus  to 
come  down  to  Miletus  to  meet  him. 

Paul’s  words  to  these  elders  of  the  Ephesian  church 
show  us  the  great  and  unselfish  tenderness  of  his  nature. 
He  opened  his  heart  to  these  Christian  brethren,  telling 
them  of  his  anxiety  concerning  the  future  of  the  work  in 
Ephesus  and  earnestly  admonishing  them  to  tend  faith¬ 
fully  the  little  flock  over  which  God  had  made  them  the 
shepherds.  He  spoke  of  the  uncertainties  in  his  own 
immediate  future  and  predicted  that  his  Ephesian  friends 
were  looking  upon  his  face  for  the  last  time.  With 
earnest  words  he  commended  them  to  God’s  care. 

Then  they  all  knelt  down  and  Paul  led  the  company  in 
prayer.  It  was  a  touching  farewell ;  strong  men  wept 
and  throwing  their  arms  about  the  neck  of  their  beloved 
leader  they  kissed  him  fondly.  Paul’s  prediction  that  the 
parting  there  on  the  beach  was  to  be  final,  in  so  far  as 
the  present  life  is  concerned,  almost  broke  the  hearts  of 
his  Ephesian  friends.  The  world  had  hardly  witnessed 
such  a  scene  before  as  it  witnessed  that  day  on  the  beach 
of  Miletus.  There  was  Paul,  a  Jew  and  an  ex-Pharisee, 
with  him  as  his  traveling  companions  were  men  from 
Macedonia  and  from  various  parts  of  Asia.  One  of 
them,  Timothy,  was  half  Jew,  half  Greek.  There  were  a 
group  of  men  who  only  a  few  years  before  had  been  pagan 
idol  worshipers,  but  who  were  now  the  elders  of  a  Chris¬ 
tian  church  in  Ephesus.  Of  widely  different  races  and 
from  different  provinces,  these  people  had  become  one 
brotherhood  in  Christ.  The  little  company  from  Ephesus 
accompanied  Paul  and  his  companions  to  the  ship  and 
doubtless  watched  it  as  it  moved  away  across  the  water. 


190  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


From  Miletus  to  Tyre.  Acts  21 : 1  -6.  The  ship  sailed 
southward  from  Miletus  and  came  on  a  straight  course 
to  the  island  of  Cos.  The  following  day  the  travelers 
touched  land  on  the  large  island  of  Rhodes.  Thence 
sailing  eastward  the  ship  came  to  anchor  in  the  harbor  of 
Patara,  a  city  of  considerable  importance  situated  in  the 
midst  of  the  shifting  sand  dunes  of  the  Lycian  coast. 
Here  the  missionaries  left  the  ship  on  which  they  had 
been  traveling  and  went  aboard  another  ship  bound  for 
Phoenicia.  For  a  little  way  the  course  of  the  vessel  lay 
along  the  Lycian  shore ;  then  the  ship  struck  boldly  sea¬ 
ward.  The  last  trace  of  land  disappeared  and  only  the 
tossing  waves  lay  about  the  vessel.  Presently,  however, 
dim  mountain  peaks  began  to  appear  in  the  southeast. 
They  had  come  in  sight  of  Cyprus,  the  island  in  which 
Paul  and  Barnabas  had  begun  their  labors  on  their  first 
missionary  journey  more  than  ten  years  before.  Again 
they  lost  sight  of  land  as  the  vessel  drew  away  from  the 
island  of  Cyprus.  In  due  time  the  ship  cast  anchor  in 
the  .roadstead  of  Tyre  and  the  travelers  disembarked. 

There  were  Christians  in  Tyre  and  Paul  and  his  com¬ 
panions  took  the  trouble  to  find  them.  The  party  spent 
seven  days  in  the  city  of  Tyre.  The  Christians  of  Tyre 
had  probably  never  seen  Paul  before,  but  in  the  week 
which  he  spent  among  them  he  made  himself  beloved 
among  them.  These  new-found  friends  begged  Paul  not 
to  go  to  Jerusalem.  They  probably  knew  of  the  bitter 
hatred  against  Paul  in  that  city. 

The  seven  days’  delay  in  Tyre  had  been  necessary  be¬ 
cause  it  took  the  ship  that  long  to  discharge  her  cargo, 
but  Paul  and  his  helpers  had  made  good  use  of  the  time. 
When  the  time  came  for  Paul’s  party  to  part  from  their 
Christian  friends  of  Tyre,  the  Tyrian  Christians,  men, 
women,  and  children  went  with  them  to  the  shore.  There 
they  all  knelt  down  together  on  the  beach,  and  thus  they 
prayed  and  bade  each  other  farewell.  Paul  and  his  com¬ 
panions  then  went  aboard  the  ship  while  the  Christians 
of  Tyre  turned  homeward. 

From  Tyre  to  Caesarea.  Acts  21 :7-14.  Sailing  south 
from  Tyre,  the  ship  drew  near  to  the  city  of  Ptolemais,  a 
city  which  now  bears  the  name  of  Acre.  Paul  and  his 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  191 


companions  were  now  coming  within  sight  of  the  Holy 
Land.  To  the  eastward  the  Lebanon  Mountains  were  in 
view  and  the  snowy  crest  of  Mount  Hermon.  Eight 
miles  south  of  Ptolemais,  the  long  ridge  of  Mount  Carmel 
rose  against  the  sky  line. 

There  were  Christians  in  Ptolemais.  The  ship  stopped 
there  one  day  and  Paul  had  an  opportunity  to  meet  the 
Christian  people  of  the  city.  From  Ptolemais  the  ship 
proceeded  to  Caesarea,  where  the  missionaries  took  leave 
of  her  to  proceed  by  land  to  Jerusalem.  Philip,  who  had 
been  one  of  the  first  deacons  of  the  Christian  church  in 
Jerusalem  and  who  had  done  such  successful  evangelistic 
work  in  Samaria  and  elsewhere,  had  been  living  in  Caesa¬ 
rea  for  many  years  and  he  kindly  invited  the  missionaries 
to  make  their  home  with  him  while  they  remained  in 
Caesarea.  Philip  had  ceased  to  be  a  traveling  evangelist, 
perhaps  because  he  had  married  and  now  had  four  chil¬ 
dren,  daughters  who,  like  their  father,  were  zealous  work¬ 
ers  for  the  Christian  religion. 

While  the  party  tarried  in  Caesarea,  a  prophet  named 
Agabus  came  down  from  Judea.  This  was  the  same 
prophet  who  had  predicted  the  famine  a  good  many  years 
before  and  whose  predictions  had  come  true.  Agabus 
took  Paul’s  girdle  and  bound  his  own  hands  and  feet,  at 
the  same  time  predicting  that  the  Jews  of  Jerusalem 
would  so  bind  the  man  who  owned  the  girdle  and  that 
they  would  deliver  him  thus  bound  into  the  hands  of  the 
Gentiles.  When  Paul’s  traveling  companions  heard  this, 
they  begged  of  him  not  to  go  on  to  Jerusalem.  The 
Christians  of  Caesarea  likewise  joined  in  the  plea.  Paul 
said  to  them,  “What  do  ye,  weeping  and  breaking  my 
heart?  for  I  am  ready  not  to  be  bound  only,  but  also  to 
die  at  Jerusalem  for  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.”  His 
friends  seeing  that  he  could  not  be  turned  from  his  pur¬ 
pose  ceased  to  urge  him  and  said,  “The  will  of  the  Lord 
be  done.” 

Up  to  Jerusalem.  Acts  20:15,  16.  So  the  whole  party 
took  up  their  baggage  and  proceeded  to  Jerusalem.  A 
number  of  the  Christians  of  Caesarea  accompanied  Paul 
and  his  companions.  A  certain  man  named  Mnason, 
who  was  a  native  of  Cyprus  and  who  owned  a  house  in 


192  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Jerusalem,  also  went  with  the  party.  Pie  invited  the  mis¬ 
sionaries  to  come  to  his  house  and  to  make  it  their 
dwelling  place  while  they  were  in  Jerusalem. 

Suggestions  e or  Notebook  Work 

Trace  on  the  notebook  maps  Paul’s  journey  from 
Ephesus  to  Troas,  to  Philippi,  through  Thessalonica  and 
Berea  to  Athens  and  Corinth ;  then  back  over  the  same 
route  to  Troas.  Trace  out  the  sea  voyage  from  Troas  to 
Assos,  to  Mitylene,  past  Chios,  to  Samos,  to  Miletus,  to 
Cos,  to  Rhodes,  to  Patara,  past  Cyprus  on  the  south  side 
of  the  island,  to  Tyre,  to  Ptolemais,  to  Caesarea,  to 
Jerusalem. 

Add  to  the  Chronological  Table  of  Paul’s  Life  the  fol¬ 
lowing  items : 

Journey  Through  Macedonia  to  Corinth,  Autumn  of 
A.  D.  55. 

Three  Months  in  Greece,  A.  D.  55-56. 

Arrives  in  Jerusalem,  End  of  Third  Missionary  Jour¬ 
ney,  Summer  of  A.  D.  56. 

Picture:  Paul  Parting  with  the  Elders  at  Miletus,  No. 
767. 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

MOBBED  IN  THE  CITY  OF  JERUSALEM 
Acts  21:17-40;  ch.  22;  23:1-11 

Paul’s  arrival  in  Jerusalem  may  be  regarded  as  the  end 
of  his  third  missionary  journey.  He  had  wished  to  go  to 
his  home  church  in  Antioch  after  visiting  Jerusalem,  but 
we  shall  see  that  events  occurred  which  caused  this  plan 
to  miscarry.  The  missionary  journeys  had  grown  con¬ 
stantly  longer,  as  regards  the  distance  traveled.  This 
third  journey  had  covered  more  than  three  thousand 
miles.  It  had  likewise  occupied  more  time  than  any  pre¬ 
vious  journey.  When  Paul  reached  Jerusalem,  he  had 
been  absent  from  Antioch  for  about  four  years. 

The  Missionaries  Received  Gladly  by  the  Apostles  and 
Elders  of  Jerusalem.  Acts  21 :17-26.  Paul  and  his  help¬ 
ers  received  a  warm  welcome  from  the  Christians  of 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  193 


Jerusalem.  The  day  after  their  arrival  they  were  taken 
to  see  James,  the  brother  of  Jesus,  who  had  become  the 
chief  man  in  the  Jerusalem  church  and  who  was  highly 
respected  even  among  the  priests  and  Pharisees.  When 
the  missionaries  came  into  the  room  where  they  were  to 
meet  James,  they  found  all  the  elders  of  the  Jerusalem 
church  assembled. 

Paul  told  James  and  the  elders  about  his  work  among 
the  Gentiles  and  they  were  glad,  giving  God  thanks  for  so 
great  a  work.  Then  James  and  the  elders  told  Paul  about 
the  growth  of  the  Church  in  Jerusalem  and  Judea.  They 
told  him  that  there  were  now  thousands  of  jews  who  be¬ 
lieved  in  Jesus  and  who  yet  continued  to  observe  all  the 
customs  which  had  been  taught  by  Moses  and  the  rabbis. 
They  informed  Paul  that  these  Christian  Jews  had  been 
told  certain  things  concerning  the  work  he  was  doing 
among  the  Gentiles.  Jews  visiting  Jerusalem  to  attend 
the  great  feast  days  and  coming  from  places  like  Iconium, 
Thessalonica,  and  Ephesus  had  been  talking  to  their 
relatives  and  friends  in  Jerusalem,  telling  them  about 
Paul’s  work  in  the  regions  from  which  they  came.  They 
had  reported  that  Paul  was  teaching  Jews  everywhere  to 
forsake  the  customs  of  the  Jewish  religion. 

James  and  the  elders  were  big  enough  men  to  appre¬ 
ciate  the  greatness  of  the  work  which  Paul  was  doing 
and  rejoice  in  it,  but  they  feared  that  there  would  be  mis¬ 
understanding  on  the  part  of  some  of  the  Jewish  Chris¬ 
tians,  especially  among  those  who  had  been  Pharisees. 
The  leaders  of  the  Jerusalem  church  suggested  a  plan 
whereby  Paul  should  show  to  all  the  Jewish  Christians 
that  he  was  not  an  enemy  to  the  Law  of  Moses  and  the 
Jewish  customs  which  had  grown  out  of  that  Law.  The 
Jewish  customs  demanded  that  when  anyone  had  made  a 
vow  he  should  make  certain  offerings  in  the  Temple  and 
should  perform  certain  other  acts  such  as  repeated  wash¬ 
ings  of  his  hands  or  having  the  hair  shaved  from  his 
head.  There  was  considerable  expense  involved  in  carry¬ 
ing  out  such  ceremonies,  since  the  person  who  had  taken 
the  vow  and  was  confirming  it  must  pay  various  fees  to 
the  priests  and  make  offerings  for  the  support  of  the 
Temple  worship. 


194  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


The  leaders  of  the  Jerusalem  church  told  Paul  that 
there  were  just  then  in  the  city  four  men  who  had  made- 
vows.  They  suggested  that  Paul  pay  the  expenses  con¬ 
nected  with  the  ceremonial  proceedings  of  the  four  men 
and  that  he  should  go  through  the  performance  with 
them.  Paul  had  long  since  ceased  to  believe  that  such 
things  had  any  large  religious  value,  but  he  was  willing 
to  do  what  the  elders  had  suggested  if  by  so  doing  he 
could  win  the  confidence  of  his  fellow  Christians  who 
were  suspicious  concerning  his  aims  and  his  methods. 
So  Paul  did  as  the  elders  had  suggested. 

Seized  by  a  Mob.  Acts  21 :27- 40.  The  ceremonial  per¬ 
formances  which  Paul  had  undertaken  required  seven 
days  for  their  fulfillment.  The  time  was  almost  com¬ 
pleted  when  Paul’s  enemies  suddenly  brought  the  matter 
to  an  end  by  assaulting  him  in  the  Temple.  Paul  had 
made  many  enemies.  He  had  to  make  them  or  give  up 
the  great  task  to  which  God  had  called  him.  He  had 
enemies  among  those  who  clung  to  the  Jewish  religion 
and  rejected  Christianity.  He  had  enemies  among  the 
Gentiles  who  did  not,  care  about  religion,  but  who  had 
learned  that  Paul’s  preaching  interfered  with  their  busi¬ 
ness  and  their  profits.  He  had  enemies  within  the 
Church,  the  Judaizers  who  denounced  him  as  a  false 
apostle  and  a  dangerous  disturber  of  sacred  customs. 
Perhaps  his  most  bitter  enemies  were  among  the  Jews 
in  such  cities  as  Ephesus,  Iconium,  and  Thessalonica. 
It  was  this  last-named  group  of  enemies  that  attacked 
Paul  in  the  Temple.  These  Jews  were  in  Jerusalem  to 
attend  the  great  festivals.  Some  of  them  saw  Paul  and 
recognized  him  as  the  fearless  preacher  who  had  made 
such  a  disturbance  in  various  synagogues  in  distant  lands. 
These  Jews  of  the  Dispersion  stirred  up  the  multitudes 
and  rushed  upon  Paul  crying  out,  “Men  of  Israel,  help: 
This  is  the  man  that  teacheth  all  men  everywhere  against 
the  people,  and  the  law,  and  this  place;  and  moreover  he 
brought  Greeks  also  into  the  temple,  and  hath  defiled 
this  holy  place.’’  The  mob  dragged  Paul  from  the  Temple 
court  out  into  the  streets.  Paul’s  enemies  were  beating 
him  and  trying  to  kill  him,  but  there  were  so  many  of 
them  that  they  got  in  each  other’s  way.  They  soon 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  195 


would  have  made  an  end  of  him,  however,  if  the  chief 
captain  of  the  Roman  garrison  had  not  come  running 
with  a  detachment  of  soldiers.  When  Paul’s  enemies  saw 
the  soldiers  coming,  they  stopped  beating  him  and  drew 
back  from  the  advancing  spears.  The  Roman  captain, 
thinking  that  Paul  must  be  some  noted  criminal,  ordered 
the  soldiers  to  seize  him  and  bind  him  with  two  chains. 
Then  the  Roman  captain  turned  to  the  crowd  and  asked 
them  who  Paul  was  and  what  he  had  done.  Some  in  the 
crowd  shouted  one  thing  and  some  another  and  there  was 
such  an  uproar  that  the  Roman  officer  could  not  find  out 
anything  definite.  So  he  ordered  Paul  to  be  brought  into 
the  Castle  of  Antonia.  When  Paul’s  assailants  saw  their 
intended  victim  being  taken  away  they  surged  around  the 
Roman  soldiers  crying,  “Away  with  him.’’  The  group  of 
soldiers  lifted  Paul  above  the  eager  hands  which  were 
reaching  for  him  and  so  they  brought  him  to  the  castle 
stairs. 

As  the  soldiers  were  about  to  bring  Paul  into  the  castle, 
Paul  said  to  the  captain,  “May  I  say  something  unto 
thee?’’  The  Roman  captain  was  surprised  to  hear  Paul 
speak  to  him  in  the  Greek  language.  He  had  concluded 
that  Paul  was  a  noted  Egyptian  desperado  who  had 
caused  a  great  deal  of  trouble  in  the  country.  Paul  as¬ 
sured  the  captain  that  he  was  a  Jew  from  Tarsus,  in 
Cilicia,  and  that  he  had  come  from  “no  mean  city.’’  Paul 
asked  the  captain  if  he  might  speak  to  the  people,  and 
the  captain  gave  him  leave.  So  Paul  stood  on  the  castle 
stairs  and  turned  his  face  toward  the  great  surging 
throng  of  wildly  excited,  shouting  men  who  were  crying 
out  for  his  immediate  destruction.  Paul  raised  his  hand 
with  that  commanding  gesture  which  had  often  stilled 
angry  multitudes.  Gradually  the  uproar  died  down  until 
there  was  silence.  Then  Paul  began  to  speak. 

Paul’s  Address  from  the  Castle  Stairs.  Acts  22:1-21. 
When  the  multitudes  heard  Paul  speaking  to  them  in 
their  native  Hebrew  tongue,  they  became  the  more  atten¬ 
tive.  Paul  began  by  telling  them  that  he  was  a  Jew,  born 
in  Tarsus  of  Cilicia,  and  that  he  had  spent  some  of  his 
early  years  in  Jerusalem  as  a  pupil  of  Gamaliel.  He  told 
how  he  had  persecuted  the  Christians.  He  told  of  his 


196  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


journey  to  Damascus  to  seize  the  Christians  in  that  city 
that  he  might  bring  them  bound  to  Jerusalem.  Then  he 
told  about  his  conversion  and  his  subsequent  experiences 
in  Damascus.  He  was  telling  them  about  how  God  had 
commissioned  him  to  go  far  hence  to  the  Gentiles,  when 
the  mob  suddenly  broke  out  into  a  wild  uproar.  It  was 
the  fact  that  Paul  was  preaching  to  Gentiles  and  receiv¬ 
ing  them  into  the  Christian  fellowship  that  specially 
roused  the  hatred  of  Paul’s  enemies  and  when  they  heard 
him  declare  that  God  had  given  him  this  very  task  they 
would  hear  no  more. 

Paul  Saved  from  Cruel  Scourging  by  His  Roman  Citi¬ 
zenship.  Acts  22 :22-30.  The  mob  had  broken  out  more 

furiously  than  before.  Fierce 
cries  rent  the  air,  “Away  with 
such  a  fellow  from  the  earth : 
for  it  is  not  fit  that  he  should 
live.”  The  mob-maddened  as¬ 
sailants  of  Paul  threw  aside 
their  garments  and  cast  handfuls 
of  dust  into  the  air,  and  there 
was  a  fearful  uproar.  The 
Roman  captain  was  at  a  loss  to 
understand  why  the  mob  was 
so  violent  in  its  determination 
to  destroy  Paul.  He  thought 
that  Paul  must  have  committed 
some  great  crime.  It  was  the 
cruel  custom  of  the  times  to  flog 
a  suspected  criminal  until  he 
confessed  his  guilt.  The  Roman 
captain  determined  to  use  this 
method  with  Paul.  He  ordered 
him  to  “be  examined  by  scourg¬ 
ing.”  So  the  soldiers  laid  hold 
on  Paul  and  dragged  him  to 
the  whipping  post  within  the 
court  of  the  castle.  They  tied  his  hands  with  strong 
leather  thongs,  having  taken  off  his  garments  so  as  to 
expose  his  naked  back.  A  Roman  centurion  took  his 
place  sp  as  to  oversee  the  whipping  and  to  be  ready  to 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  197 


receive  Paul’s  confession.  Two  Roman  soldiers  came 
forward  and  took  their  places  one  on  each  side  of  Paul 
as  he  hung  there  on  the  post,  his  hands  stretched  high 
above  his  head  and  his  back  laid  bare  to  receive  the  cruel 
lashing.  Each  soldier  was  armed  with  a  Roman  scourge, 
a  kind  of  whip  with  a  handle  eighteen  inches  long  and  a 
dozen  lashes,  each  lash  loaded  with  sharp  bits  of  metal. 
The  centurion  was  about  to  give  the  command  for  the 
soldiers  to  lay  on  with  their  whips  when  Paul  calmly 
said  to  him,  “Is  it  lawful  for  you  to  scourge  a  man  that 
is  a  Roman,  and  uncondemned?”  Hearing  these  words, 
the  centurion  hastened  away  to  the  chief  captain  and  said 
to  him,  “What  art  thou  about  to  do?  for  this  man  is  a 
Roman.”  The  chief  captain  came  hastily  to  Paul  and  said, 
“Tell  me,  art  thou  a  Roman?”  Paul  answered  “Yea.” 
Hearing  this,  the  chief  captain  ordered  Paul  to  be  untied. 
He  was  now  very  much  frightened  because  he  had  bound 
Paul,  since  Roman  law  provided  that  no  Roman  citizen 
should  be  subjected  to  such  indignity. 

The  next  day  the  chief  captain  called  together  the  chief 
priests  and  the  members  of  the  Jewish  court  known  as 
the  sanhedrin.  Having  assembled  these  Jewish  leaders, 
he  brought  Paul  before  them  that  he  might  find  out  what 
charge  the  Jews  would  lodge  against  the  prisoner. 

The  Examination  Before  the  Jewish  Leaders.  Acts 
23:1-10.  When  Paul  stood  before  the  priests  and  the 
members  of  the  sanhedrin,  he  looked  them  squarely  in 
the  face  and  said,  “Brethren,  I  have  lived  before  God  in 
all  good  conscience  until  this  day.”  This  was  simply  a 
statement  from  Paul  declaring  that  he  had  acted  con¬ 
scientiously  in  all  that  he  had  done  in  becoming  a  fol¬ 
lower  of  Jesus  and  in  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  Gen¬ 
tiles.  However,  it  greatly  angered  the  high  priest,  Ana¬ 
nias.  He  commanded  those  who  were  standing  near 
Paul  to  smite  him  on  the  mouth.  Paul  had  a  perfect 
right  to  say  what  he  did  and  the  high  priest  had  no  right 
at  all  to  command  that  Paul  be  smitten.  These  high 
officials  had  a  habit,  it  seems,  of  committing  such  shame¬ 
ful  indignities  upon  those  whom  they  accused  before 
their  court.  They  had  smitten  Jesus  under  similar  cir¬ 
cumstances,  Paul  did  not  have  the  splendid  self-control 


198  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


of  his  Master.  He  was  a  man  of  quick  temper  and  he  said 
to  the  high  priest,  “God  shall  smite  thee,  thou  whited  wall : 
and  sittest  thou  to  judge  me  according  to  the  law,  and 
commandest  me  to  be  smitten  contrary  to  the  law?”  It 
may  be  that  Paul  did  not  know  that  Ananias  was  the  high 
priest,  for  he  seems  to  have  been  sorry  that  he  had  spoken 
as  he  did  as  soon  as  he  was  reproved  and  accused  of  revil¬ 
ing  the  high  priest.  In  any  case,  the  ruffian  who  had  suc¬ 
ceeded  in  getting  himself  into  the  high  priest’s  office  by 
shrewd  political  maneuvering  deserved  the  rebuke  which 
he  received.  He  was  probably  not  used  to  hearing  such 
words  from  prisoners  brought  before  him  for  trial. 

Part  of  the  Jewish  leaders  before  whom  Paul  was 
being  examined  were  Sadducees  and  part  were  Pharisees. 
They  were  bitter  enemies  at  most  times  but  were  now 
somewhat  united  by  their  common  hatred  of  Paul.  The 
great  theme  of  dispute  between  the  Sadducees  and  the 
Pharisees  was  the  matter  of  the  resurrection  of  the  body 
in  a  future  life. 

Paul  succeeded  in  arousing  bitter  division  among  his 
antagonists  by  declaring  that  he  was  a  Pharisee  and  that 
in  preaching  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  he  was  in  harmony 
with  what  Pharisees  everywhere  believed.  The  accusers 
of  Paul  were  so  irritable  toward  one  another  that  they 
forgot,  for  the  time,  their  common  enemy,  and  began  to 
dispute  with  one  another.  They  became  so  uproarious 
that  the  chief  captain  feared  that  Paul  would  be  torn  to 
pieces  among  them,  so  he  sent  soldiers  to  rescue  Paul  and 
to  bring  him  into  the  castle. 

The  Voice  of  Jesus  in  the  Night.  Acts  23:11.  That 
night  as  he  lay  in  his  prison  cell,  Paul  seemed  to  hear 
the  voice  of  Jesus  speaking  to  him,  just  as  he  had  heard 
it  on  the  road  to  Damascus  and  as  he  had  heard  it  in  the 
midst  of  his  perils  and  discouragements  in  Corinth.  The 
voice  said,  “Be  of  good  cheer:  for  as  thou  hast  testified 
concerning  me  at  Jerusalem,  so  must  thou  bear  witness 
also  at  Rome.’’  The  message  must  have  greatly  com¬ 
forted  Paul.  It  assured  him  that  his  life  would  be  spared 
and  that  his  long-cherished  dream  of  preaching  Christ  in 
the  world’s  capital  would  come  true  under  the  providence 
of  God. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  199 


The  Lesson  Prayer 

Our  Prather  in  heaven,  we  would  come  to  know  thee 
more  perfectly  day  by  day.  We  would  worship  thee  with 
reverence  and  obey  thee  with  simplicity  and  gladness. 
Teach  us  to  understand  the  spiritual  lessons  contained 
in  the  character  of  thy  servant  whose  life  story  we  are 
studying  in  these  lessons.  We  ask  in  the  name  of  thy 
Son.  Amen. 

Supplemental  Missionary  Story 

“The  Scout  of  Papua.”  “The  Book  of  Missionary 
Heroes,”  page  118.  _______________ 

EXPRESSION AL  SESSION 

THE  PLACE  OF  FRIENDLINESS  IN  A  GREAT  AND 

USEFUL  LIFE 

Phil.,  ch.  4 

Our  Scripture  lesson  is  part  of  a  letter  which  Paul 
wrote  to  the  Christians  of  Philippi.  It  was  written  when 
Paul  was  in  prison,  but  he  was  not  thinking  about  his 
own  misfortunes.  He  was  thinking  of  the  friends  who 
were  scattered  here  and  there  over  the  world.  The  letter 
is  interesting  not  only  because  of  what  Paul  wrote  in  it, 
but  also  because  it  gives  us  a  glimpse  into  the  character 
of  the  great-souled  man  who  wrote  it.  The  letter  shows 
us  the  depth  of  Paul’s  friendships.  He  had  been  most 
cruelly  beaten  and  imprisoned  in  Philippi,  but  he  was  not 
thinking  of  these  wrongs  when  he  wrote  the  letter.  He 
was  thinking  of  his  Christian  friends  who  had  been  true 
to  the  religion  which  he  had  taught  them.  He  calls  these 
friends  “my  brethren  beloved  and  longed  for,  my  joy 
and  crown.” 

The  truly  great  men  and  women  of  history  have  been 
great  as  friends.  Their  friendships  have  been  wide,  true, 
and  enduring.  Their  friendliness  has  been  one  of  their 
most  important  sources  of  power.  No  person  is  apt  to 
accomplish  much  in  life  working  single-handed.  We  all 
need  the  help  of  other  people,  the  friendly  assistance 
which  is  given  because  people  love  us  and  wish  us  well. 


200  PAUL,  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Paul  made  some  bitter  enemies  but  he  had  to  do  it  or 
give  up  part  of  the  great  task  to  which  God  had  called 
him.  He  had  to  make  enemies  or  be  untrue  to  Jesus 
Christ.  He  was  willing  to  be  friendly,  however,  with 
everybody.  We  have  seen  in  the  past  lesson  how  he 
tried  to  win  the  friendship  of  his  enemies  among  the 
Jews,  by  taking  part  in  religious  ceremonials  which 
meant  nothing  to  him.  He  was  willing  to  sacrifice  any¬ 
thing  he  could  conscientiously  sacrifice  in  order  to  gain 
friends. 

Some  Truths  erom  the  Lessons  We  Have 

Been  Studying 

Paul’s  farewell  to  the  Ephesian  elders  is  one  of  the 
finest  pictures  of  friendship  to  be  found  in  the  Bible. 

Paul’s  friendliness  enabled  him  to  get  along  well  with 
his  many  helpers.  Beyond  a  minor  difference  with  Bar¬ 
nabas,  we  do  not  read  of  his  having  had  trouble  with  any 
of  his  companions  at  any  time. 

Many  people  are  led  into  the  Christian  life  by  the 
friendliness  of  those  who  are  professed  followers  of  Jesus. 
Paul  knew  the  power  of  consecrated  friendliness  as  an 
evangelizing  force. 

Paul’s  friendships  were  wide.  He  made  friends  among 
people  of  all  classes.  He  counted  among  his  friends 
runaway  slaves  and  those  who  were  of  the  household  of 
Caesar.  He  made  friends  of  old  people  and  of  little 
children. 

Paul’s  friendships  were  enduring.  He  had  a  host  of 
friends  at  the  time  he  wrote  his  letter  to  the  Romans, 
and  a  good  many  of  them  are  named  in  the  closing, 
chapter  of  that  great  epistle. 

Review  Questions 

1.  Show  that  Paul  was  a  man  of  physical  vigor. 

2.  Tell  of  Paul’s  farewell  to  the  Ephesian  elders. 

3.  Describe  the  voyage  from  Miletus  to  Tyre. 

4.  Who  was  Philip  and  what  kind  of  family  did  he 
have  ? 

5.  Tell  of  the  voyage  from  Tyre  to  Caesarea. 


PAUL  TPIE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  201 


6.  Tell  of  the  reception  given  the  missionaries  in 
Jerusalem. 

7.  What  charge  did  the  enemies  of  Paul  make  against 
him  when  they  seized  him  in  the  Temple?  Acts  21 :28. 

8.  How  did  Paul’s  Roman  citizenship  protect  him? 

9.  Tell  of  the  examination  before  the  Jewish  leaders. 

10.  Was  it  wrong  for  Paul -to  speak  as  he  did  to  the 
high  priest? 

Bible  Verses 

Prov.  17:17;  27:9;  Mark  5:19;  Luke  7:34;  10:25-37; 
12 :4;  John  15  : 1 3-1 5. 

Study  Topics 

1.  Some  of  the  Friends  of  Paul  and  How  They  Helped 
Him. 

2.  Right  Ways  and  Wrong  Ways  of  Making  Friends. 

3.  The  Friendship  of  Jesus.  (See  such  passages  of 
Scripture  as  Luke  15:1,  2.) 

4.  Some  of  the  Elements  of  True  Friendship. 

5.  The  Friendship  of  David  and  Jonathan. 

6.  How  Friends  Can  Help  One  Another. 

7.  How  We  Can  Help  the  Church  by  Being  Friendly. 

8.  Some  Things  We  Ought  Never  to  Do  for  the  Sake 
of  Gaining  or  Keeping  Friends. 

9.  How  We  Can  Help  to  Make  Our  Church  School  a 
Friendly  School. 

10.  What  Christian  Friendship  Means.  (Were  the 
Judaizers  truly  Christian  in  their  attitude  toward  Paul? 
Could  Peter  be  a  true  friend  to  Gentile  Christians  and 
refuse  to  sit  at  the  same  table  with  them?) 

The  Lesson  Truth  Expressed  in  a  Law 

The  Law  of  the  Friendly  Spirit.  Friendship  makes 
life  useful  and  happy.  Therefore  : 

1.  We  will  make  as  many  friends  as  we  can,  but  we 
will  not  do  that  which  we  know  to  be  wrong  in  order  to 
win  the  friendship  of  anyone. 

2.  We  will  try  to  make  our  friendship  helpful,  true, 
and  enduring. 

3.  We  will  try  to  make  our  friendships  useful  to  the 
Church  and  to  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  earth. 


202  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Projects  eor  Putting  the  Lesson  Truths 

Into  Practice 

The  social  contacts  of  the  church  school  may  be  made 
one  of  its  most  potent  educational  forces.  The  teacher 
has  an  opportunity  to  nurture  that  universal  friendliness 
which  is  so  fundamental  in  Christian  character.  The 
evil  effects  of  cliques  and  narrowly  exclusive  friendships 
should  be  made  clear  in  the  classroom  work  and  in  the 
association  which  the  pupils  establish  with  one  another 
in  carrying  out  the  projects  which  they  have  undertaken. 
It  might  be  well  to  plan  a  social  evening  to  which  each 
member  of  the  class  is  permitted  to  invite  one  young  per¬ 
son,  not  connected  with  the  class  or  the  church,  who 
could  rightly  be  won  for  membership  in  one  or  both  of 
these  organizations.  Encourage  the  pupils  to  use  their 
gifts  of  friendliness  to  help  the  school  and  the  church 
with  which  it  is  connected. 


CHAPTER  XV 


IMPRISONED  IN  CAESAREA  AND  TRIED  BE¬ 
FORE  ROMAN  GOVERNORS 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

THE  TRIAL  BEFORE  FELIX 
Acts  23:12-35;  24:1-27 

The  spirit  of  an  angry  mob  is  one  of  the  most  terrible 
things  in  all  the  world.  Under  the  excitement  of  mob 
violence  people  who  are  not  usually  criminals  at  heart 
will  commit  crimes.  In  the  preceding  lesson  we  saw  the 
spirit  of  mob  violence  which  came  so  near  making  an 
end  of  Paul.  In  this  lesson  we  shall  see  how  Paul’s 
enemies  kept  after  him  with  grim  determination,  seeking 
to  take  his  life  by  any  means  on  which  they  could  lay 
hold. 

Another  Plot  Foiled.  Acts  23:12-25.  The  Jerusalem 
Jews  and  the  Jews  of  the  Dispersion  were  now  filled  with 
a  great  rage  against  Paul  and  determined  to  destroy  him. 
More  than  forty  of  them  entered  into  a  plot  to  take  his 
iife.  They  bound  themselves  by  an  oath  not  to  eat  or 
drink  until  they  had  slain  Paul.  Going  to  the  priests, 
these  men  told  them  about  the  oath  which  they  had  taken. 
They  asked  the  priests  to  help  them  to  carry  out  their 
plans.  So  it  was  arranged  that  the  priests  should  ask 
the  Roman  captain,  Claudius  Lysias,  to  permit  Paul  to 
be  brought  before  the  sanhedrin  for  another  hearing. 
This  would  make  it  necessary  for  Paul  to  be  brought  out 
of  the  strong  castle  of  Antonia  where  he  was  imprisoned 
and  where  he  could  not  be  reached  by  his  enemies.  He 
would  have  to  pass  through  the  streets  of  Jerusalem  to 
the  place  where  the  sanhedrin  was  accustomed  to  meet. 
The  forty  conspirators  planned  to  rush  upon  Paul  and 
kill  him  when  he  was  passing  from  the  Tower  of  Antonia 
to  the  meeting  of  the  sanhedrin.  Not  more  than  three  or 
four  Roman  soldiers  would  be  likely  to  accompany  Paul, 

203 


204  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


and  the  forty  men  believed  that  they  could  attain  their 
end  in  spite  of  what  the  soldiers  might  do  to  defend  their 
prisoner. 

Paul  had  a  sister  living  in  Jerusalem.  She  may  have 
refused  to  own  her  brother  for  she  seems  to  have  taken 
no  step  toward  helping  Paul.  But  this  sister  of  Paul  had 
a  young  son  who  was  a  lad  of  heroic  spirit.  He  heard 
about  the  plot  to  slay  his  uncle  and  he  determined  to  save 
him.  Coming  into  the  castle,  he  told  Paul  about  the 
conspiracy  of  the  forty  men  who  had  bound  themselves 
by  an  oath  not  to  eat  or  drink  until  they  had  taken  ven¬ 
geance  on  their  enemy.  Calling  a  centurion,  Paul  asked 
him  to  take  the  lad  to  the  chief  captain.  When  the  boy 
had  been  ushered  into  the  private  room  of  the  chief  cap¬ 
tain,  he  told  that  officer  about  the  conspiracy  and  urged 
him  not  to  send  Paul  to  the  proposed  meeting  of  the 
sanhedrin.  Then  the  chief  captain  let  the  lad  depart, 
warning  him  not  to  let  anyone  know  about  the  conver¬ 
sation  which  had  taken  place  between  them.  Claudius 
Lysias  was  a  man  of  action  and  he  quickly  formed  plans 
to  save  Paul  from  the  danger  which  was  menacing  him. 
He  called  some  of  his  officers  to  him  and  ordered  them  to 
make  preparations  for  an  immediate  journey  to  Caesarea. 

Fleeing  Through  the  Night.  Acts  23  :26-35.  Claudius 
Lysias,  the  chief  captain,  recognized  the  fact  that  the 
situation  was  exceedingly  dangerous.  He  knew  that  the 
whole  Jewish  population  was  aroused  and  determined  to 
destroy  Paul.  He  had  seen  a  mob  wild  with  hate  trying 
to  tear  Paul  limb  from  limb,  so  he  made  careful  prepara¬ 
tions  for  guarding  his  prisoner  in  case  the  news  of  his 
flight  should  leak  out  and  a  mob  should  seek  to  seize  him. 
He  ordered  a  guard  composed  of  some  four  hundred  and 
seventy  soldiers  to  go  with  Paul  on  the  trip  to  Caesarea. 

Claudius  Lysias  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Roman  governor, 
Felix,  who  had  his  headquarters  in  Caesarea.  He  told 
of  the  attack  upon  Paul  and  the  trial  before  the  sanhe¬ 
drin,  and  said  that  he  did  not  believe  that  Paul  was  guilty 
of  any  offense  worthy  of  death  or  imprisonment.  He  told 
about  the  plot  which  had  been  formed  against  Paul  and 
expressed  the  wish  that  the  whole  affair  might  be  exam¬ 
ined  in  the  presence  of  Felix,  the  governor. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  205 


In  the  darkness  of  the  early  morning,  Paul  and  his 
soldier  guards  stole  out  of  Jerusalem  and  fled  through  the 
night  down  the  crooked  rocky  road  which  led  to  Caesarea. 
When  the  party  had  reached  a  town  called  Antipatris 
which  lay  on  the  coastal  plain  not  far  from  the  Mediter¬ 
ranean  Sea,  part  of  the  soldiers  turned  back  to  Jerusalem 
because  they  believed  that  the  danger  of  pursuit  was 
practically  over.  Pushing  on  along  the  coast  the  re¬ 
mainder  of  the  party  reached  Caesarea  and  Paul  was 
turned  over  to  the  Roman  governor. 

The  governor  received  Paul  courteously,  inquiring  as 
to  what  province  he  was  from  and  promising  him  a 
trial  as  soon  as  his  accusers  should  arrive  from  Jerusalem. 
He  did  not  cast  Paul  into  one  of  the  loathsome  prisons 
where  criminals  of  all  descriptions  were  confined.  He 
commanded  that  Paul  should  be  kept  in  the  palace  of 
Herod. 

The  Charges  Against  Paul.  Acts  24:1-9.  The  ene¬ 
mies  of  Paul  were  not  long  in  coming.  Only  five  days 
after  Paul  had  reached  Caesarea,  the  high  priest,  Ananias, 
appeared  with  certain  elders  from  Jerusalem.  They  had 
made  careful  preparation  for  the  presentation  of  their 
charges  against  Paul  and  had  hired  a  lawyer  named  Ter- 
tullus  to  conduct  the  case.  Tertullus  was  probably  a 
Roman  and  his  employers  may  have  believed  that  they 
increased  their  prospects  for  a  successful  prosecution  of 
the  case  by  hiring  a  lawyer  who  was  not  a  Jew  to  carry 
on  the  accusation  against  Paul. 

Tertullus  began  his  speech  with  some  words  of  flattery 
intended  to  win  the  ear  of  the  governor.  He  said  that 
Felix  the  governor  had  brought  peace  to  the  province 
and  corrected  many  evils,  for  which  services  all  good 
people  were  thankful.  Then  he  stated  the  charges  against 
Paul.  He  accused  Paul  of  having  raised  insurrection 
among  the  Jews  throughout  the  world.  He  charged  him 
with  being  a  Christian,  a  member  of  “the  sect  of  the 
Nazarenes.”  Last  of  all,  he  declared  that  Paul  had  tried 
to  profane  the  Temple.  The  latter  charge  was  doubtless 
based  on  the  rumor  that  Paul  had  taken  Gentiles  into 
the  parts  of  the  Temple  where  only  Jews  were  permitted 
to  go  and  where  it  was  an  offense  punishable  by  death 


206  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


for  any  Gentile  to  enter.  The  chief  priest  and  the  other 
Jews  who  had  come  down  from  Jerusalem  declared  that 
everything  which  Tertullus  had  said  was  true. 

Paul’s  Defense  Before  the  Governor.  Acts  24:10-23. 
When  Paul’s  accusers  had  finished  speaking,  Felix  beck¬ 
oned  to  Paul  to  answer  the  accusations  which  had  been 
brought  against  him.  Paul  began  with  a  few  courteous 
words  concerning  the  long  term  of  service  which  Felix 
had  rendered  as  governor.  He  entered  a  fiat  denial  as  to 
the  charges  that  he  had  been  an  insurrectionist  and  had 
tried  to  profane  the  Temple.  He  insisted,  as  he  had  a 
right  under  Roman  law  to  do,  that  his  accusers  bring 
forth  proof  concerning  the  charges  lodged  against  him. 
There  was  one  item  of  the  accusation,  however,  which 
Paul  would  not  deny.  He  boldly  declared  that  he  was 
indeed  a  Christian  and  went  on  to  show  that  the  Chris¬ 
tian  religion  was  in  harmony  with  all  that  the  Law  of 
Moses  had  taught  and  in  fulfillment  of  all  that  the  proph¬ 
ets  had  preached. 

Paul’s  enemies  had  made  a  weak  presentation  of  their 
case,  despite  the  fact  that  they  had  the  help  of  Tertullus, 
the  lawyer.  Their  accusations  were  not  backed  up  by 
evidence.  The  Romans  were  masters  in  the  art  of  gov¬ 
ernment  and  Felix  must  have  realized  how  groundless 
the  charges  against  Paul  must  be  since  his  accusers  had 
presented  hardly  any  evidence  at  all  to  back  up  their 
charges.  Felix  ought  to  have  dismissed  the  case  against 
Paul,  but  he  was,  like  so  many  other  politicians  of  his 
day,  a  crafty  and  selfish  man.  He  did  not  dismiss  Paul, 
but  said  that  he  would  give  his  decision  in  the  case  as 
soon  as  Lysias,  the  chief  captain,  should  come  down  from 
Jerusalem.  Paul  was  kept  under  guard,  but  was  allowed 
considerable  liberty.  His  friends  were  permitted  to  visit 
him  and  he  was  confined  not  among  the  criminals,  but 
within  the  palace  of  the  governor. 

A  Sermon  Which  Terrified  a  Crafty  Politician.  Acts 
24:24-27.  Felix  seems  to  have  been  deeply  interested  in 
Paul.  His  curiosity  was  aroused,  much  as  the  curiosity 
of  Herod  Antipas  had  been  aroused  by  John  the  Baptist. 
Felix  seems  to  have  been  interested  likewise  in  the  reli¬ 
gion  which  Paul  professed.  He  wished  to  find  out  more 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  207 


about  this  remarkable  religion  which  could  make  a  man 
so  courageous  and  strong  as  he  had  found  Paul  to  be. 
So  one  day  Felix  brought  his  wife,  Drusilla,  and  they 
sent  for  Paul  to  come  into  their  rooms  in  the  palace  that 
he  might  tell  them  about  the  religion  of  Jesus.  Paul 
preached  a  powerful  sermon  to  his  congregation  of  two. 
The  New  Testament  tells  us  that  he  “reasoned  of  right¬ 
eousness,  and  self-control,  and  the  judgment  to  come.” 
There  was  no  flattery  such  as  the  lawyer  Tertuilus  had 
used.  The  governor  saw  his  sinful  life  as  he  had  never 
seen  it  before.  He  shuddered  at  the  thought  of  the  awful 
judgment  of  God  where  he  must  answer  for  his  sins. 
He  was  terrified  and  said  to  Paul,  “Go  thy  way  for  this 
time;  and  when  I  have  a  convenient  season,  I  will  call 
thee  unto  me.” 

The  “convenient  season”  for  Felix  to  become  a  Chris¬ 
tian  never  came.  He  sent  for  Paul  often  and  talked  with 
him,  but  he  put  away  the  day  of  decision  and  gradually 
the  voice  which  had  called  him  to  a  higher  life  grew 
more  faint.  He  ought  to  have  set  Paul  free,  but  he  was 
a  crafty  and  selfish  man.  He  wished  to  get  something 
out  of  the  case  for  himself  and  he  held  Paul  a  prisoner 
because  he  thought  Paul,  or  Paul’s  friends,  might  give 
him  money,  thus  bribing  him  to  set  the  prisoner  free. 
So  for  two  years  Paul  remained  a  prisoner  in  Caesarea. 
At  the  end  of  that  time,  word  came  from  Rome  summon¬ 
ing  Felix  to  appear  before  the  emperor  to  answer  charges 
of  misgovernment  which  had  been  brought  against  him. 
Porcius  Festus  came  to  take  the  governorship  which 
Felix  was  now  compelled  to  lay  down.  Perhaps  Felix 
would  have  set  Paul  free  before  laying  down  his  office, 
but  selfishness  still  ruled  his  life  and  it  made  him  cow¬ 
ardly  and  unjust.  He  was  sorely  in  need  of  supporters 
in  the  approaching  trial.  He  believed  that  the  Jews 
would  be  won  to  his  cause  in  considerable  numbers  if  he 
favored  them  by  leaving  Paul  in  jail.  It  thus  came  to 
pass  that  Paul  was  soon  compelled  again  to  face  his  foes 
in  a  trial  before  a  Roman  governor.  This  time  the  trial 
was  before  the  new  governor,  Porcius  Festus. 

Busy  Days  in  Prison.  Although  Paul  was  a  prisoner 
during  the  two  years  he  spent  in  Caesarea,  he  was  not  idle. 


208  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Some  New  Testament  scholars  believe'  that  during  this 
period  Paul  wrote  several  of  his  great  epistles.  We  may 
be  sure  that  he  was  working  constantly,  for  that  was  his 
habit.  He  was  doubtless  speaking  to  others  just  as  he 
spoke  to  Felix,  the  govenor.  He  told  them  about  Jesus, 
the  Saviour  of  the  world,  and  urged  them  to  become 
followers  of  the  great  Teacher.  We  know  that  Paul 
found  opportunities  for  service  even  though  he  was  a 
prisoner.  He  was  accustomed  to  speak  to  all  sorts  of 
people.  It  made  little  difference  whether  a  person  were  a 
slave  or  the  Roman  governor.  Paul  knew  that  every 
person  needs  to  know  Jesus  and  to  become  a  believer  in 
him.  So  Paul  always  had  opportunity  to  preach  Christ. 
If  he  could  not  preach  to  the  multitudes,  he  preached  to 
his  jailer  or  to  some  fellow  prisoner. 

Suggestions  eor  Notebook  Work 

Trace  on  the  notebook  maps  Paul’s  journey  from  Jeru¬ 
salem  through  Antipatris  to  Caesarea.  Pictures :  Paul 
Before  Agrippa,  No.  771 ;  Paul  Before  Festus,  No.  651. 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

THE  TRIAL  BEFORE  FESTUS 
Acts,  chs.  25,  26 

The  long  period  of  imprisonment  at  Caesarea  must  have 
been  a  trying  time  for  Paul,  although,  as  we  have  seen, 
he  was  continually  busy  about  his  task  of  building  up 
the  Kingdom  of  God.  He  probably  spent  many  anxious 
days.  His  own  fate  was  in  doubt.  With  a  crafty  gov¬ 
ernor  like  Felix,  there  was  no  telling  what  might  happen. 
Paul’s  anxiety  was  not  about  himself,  however.  He  was 
anxious  concerning  the  churches  which  he  had  planted 
here  and  there  over  a  large  part  of  the  Roman  Empire. 
These  Christian  churches  were  like  stars  of  light  where 
all  else  was  darkness.  Paul  longed  to  hear  from  them, 
to  go  to  them,  but  he  could  not;  he  was  a  prisoner  He 
must  wait  patiently  and  do  the  best  he  could  with  the 
opportunities  which  were  at  hand. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  209 


The  Jews  Continued  Plotting  Against  Paul.  Acts 
25  :l-5.  Festus,  the  new  governor,  seems  to  have  been  an 
upright  man.  He  was  evidently  one  of  those  strong 
Romans  who  had  a  high  sense  of  justice,  the  kind  of  man 
who  had  enabled  Rome  to  conquer  the  known  world  and 
to  rule  it  for  centuries.  Festus  had  come  to  a  difficult 
task.  The  misgovernment  of  the  selfish  and  crafty  Felix 
had  left  matters  in  a  deplorable  condition.  The  new  gov¬ 
ernor  on  his  arrival  in  Csesarea  tarried  there  only  three 
days  and  then  went  up  to  Jerusalem.  That  city  was  the 
center  of  the  discontent,  and  Festus  hastened  there  to  see 
what  he  could  do  to  set  things  right. 

Hardly  had  Festus  entered  Jerusalem  when  the  prin¬ 
cipal  men  of  the  Jews  and  the  chief  priests  came  to  him 
and  told  him  about  Paul.  They  made  out  that  Paul  was 
a  very  dangerous  character.  They  said  that  Paul  ought 
not  to  be  permitted  to  live  any  longer.  They  besought 
Festus  as  a  special  favor  to  bring  Paul  to  Jerusalem  for 
trial ;  in  the  meantime  they  were  planning  how  they 
might  waylay  Paul  on  the  road  and  kill  him  before  he 
entered  the  city.  Festus  showed  himself  to  be  a  strong 
and  wise  governor.  The  Jews  had  been  careful  to  state 
that  if  Paul  were  brought  to  Jerusalem  they  would 
esteem  it  a  very  great  favor  to  them.  Festus,  of  course, 
wished  to  win  the  good  will  of  the  leading  men  of  the 
Jewish  nation,  but  he  was  determined  to  be  just.  He 
courteously  informed  the  Jewish  leaders  that  it  was  not  a 
custom  of  the  Romans  to  give  up  any  man  to  his  accusers 
without  having  the  accused  and  accusers  meet  face  to 
face  in  order  that  the  matter  might  be  carefully  examined. 
He  told  them  that  Paul  was  kept  in  Csesarea,  and  that 
they  would  have  to  go  down  there  and  present  their 
charges  in  a  regular  trial. 

Paul’s  Second  Appearance  Before  a  Court  in  Caesarea. 

Acts  25:6-12.  Having  spent  eight  or  ten  days  in  Jeru¬ 
salem,  Festus  came  down  to  Caesarea  again.  The  Jews 
were  on  hand,  and  the  next  day  Paul  was  brought  again 
before  a  Roman  governor  in  Caesarea.  The  Jews  brought 
a  medley  of  charges  against  Paul,  much  as  they  had  done 
in  the  trial  before  Felix.  They  accused  him  of  breaking 
the  laws  of  the  Jews,  of  profaning  the  Temple,  and  of 


210  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


being  a  conspirator  against  Caesar.  But  they  had  no  evi¬ 
dence  which  would  stand  in  any  Roman  court  of  law. 
Paul  again  denied  the  accusations  of  his  enemies,  declar¬ 
ing  that  he  had  neither  broken  any  Jewish  law  nor  pro¬ 
faned  the  Temple  nor  conspired  against  the  authority  of 
Caesar.  Paul  would  not  deny  that  he  was  a  Christian, 
but  boldly  proclaimed  that  he  was  a  follower  of  Jesus 
and  that  Jesus  had  risen  from  the  dead. 

The  governor  then  asked  Paul  if  he  was  willing  to  go 
to  Jerusalem  for  trial.  It  may  be  that  the  governor  was 
on  the  point  of  yielding  to  the  entreaties  of  the  Jews  that 
Paul  be  taken  to  Jerusalem.  Paul  knew  that  if  he  were 
taken  back  to  Jerusalem  he  would  never  come  forth  from 
the  city  ali\re,  unless  God  should  intervene  to  protect 
him.  So  Paul  said  to  Festus:  “I  am  standing  before 
Caesar’s  judgment-seat,  where  I  ought  to  be  judged:  to 
the  Jews  have  I  done  no  wrong*,  as  thou  also  very  well 
knowest.  If  then  I  am  a  wrong-doer,  and  have  commit¬ 
ted  anything  worthy  of  death,  I  refuse  not  to  die ;  but 
if  none  of  these  things  is  true  whereof  these  accuse  me, 
no  man  can  give  me  up  unto  them.  I  appeal  unto 
.sesar. 

Paul  was  a  Roman  citizen  and  had  the  right  to  ask  a 
trial  before  the  emperor  himself.  lie  had  now  come  to  a 
place  where  he  believed  that  he  ought  to  exercise  that 
right.  Festus  was  now  unable  to  send  Paul  to  Jerusalem 
even  if  he  had  wished  to  do  so.  He  said  to  Paul,  “Thou 
hast  appealed  unto  Caesar:  unto  Caesar  shalt  thou  go.” 
The  enemies  of  Paul  were  thus  put  under  the  necessity 
of  sending  some  of  their  number  to  Rome  in  order  that 
they  might  conduct  the  charges  against  Paul  before  the 
court  of  the  emperor. 

The  Visit  of  King  Agrippa  and  His  Sister  Bernice. 

Herod  Agrippa  II  was  a  great-grandson  of  Herod  the 
Great.  Pie  had  been  made  king  of  a  small  country  called 
Chalcis.  Afterward  other  sections  of  Palestine  were 
added  to  his  realm.  Agrippa  was  part  Jew  for  he  was 
descended  from  Mariamne,  the  Maccabsean  princess  who 
had  become  the  wife  of  Herod  the  Great.  He  was 
friendly  to  the  Jews  and  favored  the  Jewish  religion. 
Bernice  and  Drusilla  were  sisters  of  King  Agrippa.  Dru- 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  211 


silla  was  the  wife  of  Felix  who  had  been  governor  just 
before  Festus. 

Soon  after  Festus  had  become  governor,  King  Agrippa 
and  his  sister  Bernice  visited  him  in  Caesarea.  Festus 
told  his  visitors  about  Paul  and  they  were  much  inter¬ 
ested.  They  said  that  they  would  like  to  see  Paul  and 
hear  him  speak,  so  Festus  promised  them  that  he  would 
have  Paul  brought  before  them  the  next  day. 


On  the  following  day  Agrippa  and  his  sister  came  with 
all  the  pomp  of  royalty  and  Festus  received  them  into  his 
palace.  Also  a  great  company  of  the  chief  captains  and 
the  principal  men  of  the  city  gathered  together  to  hear 
what  Paul  might  have  to  say.  Festus  explained  to  the 
company  how  Paul  had  been  accused  by  the  Jews  and 
how  he  himself  had  found  no  fault  in  the  prisoner.  He 
told  how  Paul  had  appealed  to  Caesar  and  said  that  he  had 
gathered  the  company  in  order  that  they  might  have  an 
opportunity  to  talk  with  Paul  and  to  hear  him  before  he 
should  begin  the  journey  to  Rome.  Festus  explained 
that  he  had  no  definite  statement  to  make  to  the  emperor 
concerning  Paul  and  he  hoped  that  this  meeting  with 
Agrippa  and  the  others  might  give  him  added  light  on  the 
case  so  that  he  might  be  able  to  give  the  emperor  advice 
as  to  the  probable  guilt  or  innocence  of  the  prisoner. 


212  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 

Paul’s  Great  Address  Before  a  Company  of  Distin¬ 
guished  People.  Acts  26:1-23.  Paul  had  preached  be¬ 
fore  many  different  congregations,  but  he  had  probably 
never  before  faced  a  company  like  that  which  was  gath¬ 
ered  in  the  palace  of  Festus  the  governor.  He  was  equal 
to  the  occasion.  The  conduct  of  the  informal  inquiry 
had  been  given  over  to  King  Agrippa  and  the  king  said 
to  Paul,  “Thou  are  permitted  to  speak  for  thyself.”  Paul 
had  some  gesture  of  the  hand  which  had  on  certain  occa¬ 
sions  enabled  him  to  bring  angry  mobs  into  silence.  He 
used  this  characteristic  gesture  as  he  faced  the  distin¬ 
guished  company  of  people  in  the  palace  of  Festus.  When 
there  was  perfect  quiet,  Paul  began  to  speak.  He  began 
with  a  few  courteous  words  to  the  king,  words  which  he 
could  speak  in  all  sincerity  because  Agrippa  had  been 
a  true  friend  to  the  Jewish  people  and  had  favored  the 
Jewish  religion  in  many  ways.  He  defended  himself 
against  the  charges  of  his  enemies.  He  told  of  the  days 
when  he  had  persecuted  the  Christians,  because  he 
thought  that  he  ought  to  do  all  he  could  against  Jesus  of 
Nazareth.  He  told  of  the  trip  to  Damascus  and  the 
dazzling  light  which  fell  upon  him  at  midday.  He  told 
of  his  commission  to  go  to  the  Gentiles  that  he  might 
turn  them  “from  darkness  to  light  and  from  the  power  of 
Satan  unto  God.”  He  explained  how  it  was  that  in  carry¬ 
ing  out  that  commission  he  had  aroused  the  enmity  of  the 
Jews  and  had  been  mobbed  in  Jerusalem.  He  declared 
that  in  preaching  the  death  and  resurrection  of  Jesus  he 
was  proclaiming  nothing  but  what  Moses  and  the  proph¬ 
ets  had  foretold,  and  that  these  same  prophets  had  like¬ 
wise  foretold  the  sending  of  the  light  to  the  Gentiles. 

The  Effect  of  Paul’s  Address.  Acts  26:24-32.  When 
Paul  had  reached  this  point  in  his  address  Festus,  the 
Roman  governor,  interrupted  him  crying  out,  “Paul,  thou 
art  mad  ;  thy  much  learning  is  turning  thee  mad.”  These 
things  were  so  new  and  strange  to  the  Roman  governor 
that  he  thought  that  Paul  had  been  studying  so  deeply 
that  he  was  losing  his  mind.  But  Paul  answered  the 
governor,  saying:  “I  am  not  mad,  most  excellent  Festus; 
but  speak  forth  words  of  truth  and  soberness.  For  the 
king  knoweth  of  these  things,  unto  whom  also  I  speak 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  213 


freely :  for  I  am  persuaded  that  none  of  these  things  is 
hidden  from  him ;  for  this  hath  not  been  done  in  a 
corner.” 

Then  turning  to  the  king  Paul  said :  “King  Agrippa, 
believest  thou  the  prophets?  I  know  that  thou  believest.” 
Agrippa  was  familiar  with  the  Jewish  religion  and  he 
could  not  help  seeing  how  completely  Jesus  had  fulfilled 
the  predictions  of  the  prophets.  His  answer  was,  “With 
but  little  persuasion  thou  wouldest  fain  make  me  a  Chris¬ 
tian.”  Perhaps  he  was  almost  ready  to  believe  in  Jesus 
but  he  put  off  the  day  of  decision  and  we  do  not  know 
that  he  ever  became  a  Christian.  King  Agrippa  lived  for 
many  years  after  this  event.  In  the  great  war  which 
broke  out  between  the  Jews  and  the  Romans  in  the  year 
A.  D.  70,  Agrippa  tried  to  keep  the  Jews  from  revolting 
against  Rome,  but  when  the  war  actually  began,  he  sided 
with  the  Romans.  He  is  believed  to  have  ruled  over  his 
kingdom  until  he  died  about  A.  D.  100. 

After  Paul  had  finished  his  address,  Festus  and  Agrippa 
and  Bernice  and  all  the  chief  captains  and  leading  men 
of  Caesarea  rose  up  and  going  into  another  room  they 
talked  over  Paul’s  case.  Their  conclusion  was  expressed 
in  the  words,  “This  man  doeth  nothing  worthy  of  death 
or  of  bonds.”  King  Agrippa  said  to  Festus,  “This  man 
might  have  been  set  at  liberty,  if  he  had  not  appealed  unto 
Caesar.”  Paul  had  apparently  won  the  full  confidence  of 
the  whole  company  and  he  had  made  them  think  seri¬ 
ously  concerning  the  religion  of  Jesus. 

The:  Le:sson  Praye:r 

Our  Father  in  heaven,  we  have  seen  in  the  lesson  which 
we  have  been  studying  how  unworthily  certain  people 
have  acted  because  their  lives  were  narrow,  selfish,  and 
warped  by  prejudice.  We  have  seen  that  it  is  not  good 
to  live  a  life  which  is  governed  by  selfish  policies.  We 
have  seen  how  strong  and  courageous  Paul  was.  Give 
us  hearts  which  are  obedient  to  thy  will  that  we  may  be 
guided  by  high  principles  of  truth  and  right.  Help  us 
in  our  times  of  temptation  to  remember  Jesus  Christ  and 
his  life  of  perfect  righteousness.  We  ask  in  Jesus’  name. 
Amen. 


214  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Supplemental  Missionary  Story 

“A  South  Sea  Samaritan.”  “The  Book  of  Missionary 
Heroes,”  page  126. 

EXPRESSION AL  SESSION 

PRINCIPLE  NOT  POLICY  THE  GUIDING  FORCE  IN  A 

GREAT  AND  USEFUL  LIFE 

Matt.  9 :9-13  ;  John  19  : 1  -16 

There  are  two  fundamentally  different  ways  of  meeting 
the  problems  of  life.  These  problems  are  solved  by  some 
people  on  a  basis  of  principle.  In  determining  a  course 
of  action  they  ask  first  of  all:  “Is  this  course  right?  Is 
it  just?  Is  it  kind?”  Other  people  solve  their  problems 
on  a  basis  of  policy.  They  ask:  “Which  course  of  con¬ 
duct  will  be  best  for  me  ?  Which  course  is  safest  for  me  ? 
Which  course  will  cause  me  most  gain,  least  loss,  most 
pleasure,  least  trouble?”  Great  and  useful  lives  are  built 
when  decisions  are  made  in  harmony  with  great  unselfish 
principles  of  truth  and  justice.  Narrow,  selfish  lives  re¬ 
sult  when  the  habit  of  deciding  questions  on  a  basis  of 
selfish  policy  is  established. 

Our  Scripture  lessons  are  illustrations  of  these  two 
ways  of  solving  problems.  Jesus  chose  Matthew,  a  publi¬ 
can,  to  be  a  disciple.  Viewed  from  the  point  of  view  of 
a  selfish  policy  that  was  very  unwise.  It  alienated  the 
Jewish  leaders  because  the  publicans  were  a  despised 
class  of  people.  Jesus  made  the  choice  on  higher  grounds 
than  those  of  selfish  policy.  He  made  it  in  harmony  with 
high  principles  of  truth  and  justice.  He  saw  in  Matthew 
a  needy  soul  which  would  respond  to  his  appeal  and  be¬ 
come  a  great  power  for  righteousness.  Jesus  put  aside 
personal  advantages  for  the  sake  of  helping  a  man  to 
become  good  and  great,  for  the  sake  of  gaining  a  strong 
man  as  a  worker  for  the  Kingdom  of  God.  The  choice  of 
Matthew  brought  the  cross  nearer  to  Jesus,  but  it  gave 
to  the  world  a  man  who  became  a  force  for  righteousness. 

The  second  Scripture  passage  shows  us  a  man  who 
made  his  decisions  on  the  basis  of  selfish  policy.  Pilate 
knew  that  Jesus  was  innocent.  He  knew  that  he  ought 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  215 


to  set  Jesus  at  liberty.  He  also  knew  that  the  Jewish 
leaders  would  make  trouble  for  him  if  he  did  not  permit 
them  to  crucify  Jesus.  He  feared  that  he  would  lose  his 
office  if  the  Jews  should  go  to  Rome  and  complain  that 
he  had  set  at  liberty  one  who  had  been  accused  of  being 
disloyal  to  Caesar.  Pilate  chose  the  way  which  seemed 
to  promise  safety  and  gain  for  himself  but  a  way  which 
violated  his  Roman  sense  of  justice  and  which  he  knew 
to  be  wrong. 

People  are  all  the  time  deciding  questions  in  one  or 
other  of  these  ways.  If  a  teacher  has  two  boys  who  are 
competing  for  a  prize,  that  teacher  must  decide  who  is 
the  winner  and  must  decide  the  question  on  a  basis  either 
of  principle  or  of  policy.  Let  us  suppose  that  one  of  the 
boys  is  the  son  of  a  wealthy  man  who  is  president  of  the 
school  board.  The  other  is  the  son  of  a  poor  widow. 
Now  if  the  widow’s  son  has  really  done  a  little  better 
than  the  rich  man’s  son,  he  deserves  the  prize  and  the 
honor  he  has  won.  He  deserves  it  by  a  fundamental 
law  of  justice  which  cannot  be  changed.  What  if  the 
teacher  gives  the  prize  and  the  honor  to  the  rich  man’s 
son,  because  by  so  doing  he  establishes  himself  in  his 
position?  He  has  made  a  decision  on  the  basis  of  selfish 
policy  and  has  violated  a  law  of  God.  He  may  get  some 
temporary  gain,  but  do  you  know  that  he  has  made  a 
fool’s  bargain?  He  has  sold  himself.  Jesus  had  some 
such  truth  in  mind  when  he  asked  what  a  man  would  be 
profited  if  he  should  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose 
himself. 

Some  Truths  from  the  Lessons  We  Have 

Been  Studying 

The  Jews  who  sought  to  waylay  Paul  were  guided  by 
selfish  policies  rather  than  by  principles  of  justice  and 
mercy. 

Felix  was  acting  in  harmony  with  selfish  policy  when 
he  kept  Paul  in  prison  for  two  years  in  hope  of  receiving 
a  bribe.  He  was  acting  according  to  his  usual  policy 
when  he  left  Paul  in  prison  to  please  the  Jews. 

Paul  showed  Felix  a  different  way  of  life  when  he 
preached  to  him.  Paul  was  only  pointing  out  the  con-' 


216  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


sequences  of  a  selfish  life  when  he  warned  Felix  concern¬ 
ing  the  judgment  to  come. 

Festus  was  a  much  higher  type  of  man  than  Felix. 
He  could  have  gained  favor  with  the  Jews  by  turning 
Paul  over  to  them,  but  he  would  not  violate  his  own 
sense  of  justice  by  such  a  cowardly  act. 

As  we  have  studied  the  life  of  Paul  we  must  have  noted 
that  his  life  was  governed  by  principles  of  justice  and 
truth  rather  than  by  selfish  policies. 

Review  Questions 

1.  What  do  you  suppose  happened  to  the  forty  men 
who  had  sworn  not  to  eat  or  drink  until  they  had  slain 
Paul?  Do  you  suppose  that  they  died  of  starvation? 

2.  Tell  how  Paul’s  young  nephew  saved  him  from  the 
plots  of  the  Jews. 

3.  What  kind  of  man  was  Claudius  Lysias? 

4.  Tell  of  Paul’s  trial  before  Felix. 

5.  What  kind  of  man  was  Felix?  Was  he  governed 
by  principle  or  policy? 

6.  Show  that  Festus  was  a  better  man  than  Felix. 

7.  Why  did  Paul  appeal  to  the  emperor? 

8.  Tell  of  Paul’s  address  before  King  Agrippa. 

9.  What  effect  did  this  address  produce  upon  those 
who  heard  it? 

10.  Explain  how  Jesus  acted  according  to  just  prin¬ 
ciples  in  choosing  his  disciples. 

Bible  Verses 

Deut.  6:18;  Ps.  15:1,  2;  51:6;  Prov.  4:18;  Isa.  26:7; 
Micah  6:8;  John  8:31,  32;  Phil.  4:8;  I  Cor.  10:24;  James 
3:14. 

Study  Topics 

1.  How  David  Acted  on  Principle.  I  Sam.  26:6-16. 

2.  Selfish  Policy  Unwise  in  the  End.  Luke  20:9-16. 

3.  A  Lad  Who  Was  Loyal  to  Principle.  Dan.  1 :1-16. 

4.  Principles  Which  Governed  the  Actions  of  Jesus. 

I.  Mercy.  Matt.  9:1-8. 

5.  Principles  Which  Governed  the  Actions  of  Jesus. 

II.  Fidelity.  John  11  :7-12. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  217 


6.  Principles  Which  Governed  the  Actions  of  Jesus. 
III.  Truth.  Mark  14:57-65. 

7.  Everyday  Examples  of  Policy.  I.  If  a  pupil  cheats 
in  an  examination  and  gains  a  high  grade  thereby,  has 
that  pupil  acted  according  to  principle  or  according  to 
policy  ? 

8.  Everyday  Examples  of  Policy.  II.  If  a  boy  is  or¬ 
derly  when  the  teacher  is  in  the  room  but  disorderly  when 
the  teacher  happens  to  be  out  of  the  room,  is  he  acting 
according  to  principles  of  honor  and  honesty? 

9.  Everyday  Examples  of  Policy.  III.  If  we  talk 
about  people  when  they  are  absent  in  a  way  we  would 
not  talk  about  them  if  they  were  present,  are  we  acting 
in  harmony  with  principles  of  justice  and  kindness? 

10.  Is  a  Purely  Selfish  Policy  Ever  Really  Wise? 

The:  Lesson  Truth  Expressed  in  a  Law 

The  Law  of  Fidelity  to  Principles  of  Righteousness  and 
Truth.  Great  and  useful  lives  have  always  been  guided 
by  principles  of  truth  and  justice  rather  than  by  selfish 
policies.  Therefore : 

1.  We  will  seek  to  know  the  principles  of  justice, 
mercy,  and  brotherhood  upon  which  every  truly  Chris¬ 
tian  life  must  be  founded. 

2.  We  will  try  to  make  our  decisions  in  harmony  with 
Christian  principles  of  life  and  conduct. 

3.  We  will  seek  to  gain  that  unselfish  devotion  to  the 
Kingdom  of  God  and  to  the  good  of  humanity  which 
makes  a  policy-ruled  life  impossible. 

Projects  e'or  Putting  the  Lesson  Truths 

Into  Practice 

Have  pupils  prepare  lists  of  principles  which  ought  to 
govern  the  lives  of  boys  and  girls  in  the  Intermediate  De¬ 
partment.  These  lists  would  include  such  items  as, 
Truthfulness,  Loyalty,  Kindness,  and  the  like.  Take  one 
item  each  week  and  formulate  it  into  a  law ;  for  example, 
“The  Law  of  Truthfulness.”  Have  written  reports  on  the 
experiences  of  pupils  in  carrying  out  the  laws. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

SHIPWRECKED  ON  THE  WAY  TO  ROME 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

SAILING  ON  TOWARD  ITALY 
Acts  27  :l-26 

It  had  long  been  the  ambition  of  Paul  to  preach  the 
gospel  in  Rome,  the  great  capital  of  the  world.  This 
may  be  one  reason  why  he  was  ready  to  appeal  his  case  to 
Caesar.  Festus  now  having  no  further  jurisdiction  over 
Paul’s  case  made  preparations  to  send  him  to  Rome  that 
there  might  be  a  trial  before  the  emperor.  Paul’s  faithful 
friend  and  physician,  Luke,  had  probably  been  in  Caesa¬ 
rea  most  of  the  time  during  which  Paul  was  a  prisoner 
there.  Aristarchus  of  Macedonia  was  also  in  Caesarea 
and  made  preparations  to  accompany  Paul  and  Luke  on 
the  journey  to  Rome. 

From  Caesarea  to  Myra.  Acts  27:1-6.  Festus  gave 
Paul  into  the  custody  of  a  certain  Roman  captain  named 
Julius.  There  was  a  cohort  of  Roman  soldiers  called  the 
Augustan  band  and  Julius  was  a  captain  in  this  body  of 
troops.  It  is  thought  that  the  Augustan  band  had  been 
named  after  Augustus  Caesar  and  that  they  had  special 
duties  connected  with  the  carrying  on  of  the  Roman 
Government.  One  of  their  duties  may  have  been  the 
carrying  of  prisoners  from  the  various  provinces  to  Rome. 
There  were  other  prisoners  who  were  given  into  the 
custody  of  Julius  along  with  Paul.  These  were  probably 
condemned  men  who  were  being  sent  to  Rome  that  they 
might  be  caused  to  fight  with  wild  beasts,  and  with  one 
another,  in  the  arena  for  the  amusement  of  the  citizens 
of  Rome.  Paul,  being  a  Roman  citizen  and  uncondemned, 
would  receive  more  kindly  treatment  than  his  wretched 
fellow  prisoners. 

When  a  ship  belonging  to  the  city  of  Adramyttium,  a 
town  near  Troas,  put  into  the  port  of  Caesarea  and  Julius 
learned  that  the  vessel  was  sailing  for  the  cities  on  the 

218 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  219 


coast  of  Asia,  he  put  his  prisoners  aboard  this  vessel  and 
they  sailed  away  northward.  A  trip  of  seventy  miles 
brought  the  ship  to  Sidon.  While  the  vessel  lay  in  the 
harbor  of  Sidon,  discharging  and  receiving  cargo,  Paul 
was  permitted  to  go  ashore  and  visit  his  friends  in  that 
city.  It  may  be  that  Paul  was  ill  from  his  long  confine¬ 
ment  in  Caesarea,  for  the  account  says  that  the  centurion 
permitted  Paul  to  visit  his  friends  that  he  might  “receive 
attention.”  Julius  was  apparently  already  coming  to  like 
his  prisoner  and  to  put  confidence  in  him. 

The  usual  course  for  vessels  sailing  from  Sidon  was 
directly  across  the  eastern  Mediterranean  Sea  to  Rhodes. 
The  wind  was  now  so  directly  from  the  west  that  the 
sailors  had  to  sail  on  a  more  northerly  course  and  to  seek 
the  shelter  of  the  mountainous  island  of  Cyprus.  Paul 
thus  came  once  more  in  sight  of  the  island  where  he  and 
Barnabas  had  begun  their  work  as  missionaries  so  many 
years  before.  By  sailing  close  to  the  island  the  sailors 
were  able  to  make  their  way  northward  until  they 
rounded  the  northeastern  tip  of  the  island.  Then  they 
turned  again  to  a  more  westward  course  and  crossing  the 
arm  of  the  sea  which  lies  between  Cyprus  and  the  main¬ 
land  they  coasted  along  that  shore  until  they  reached 
Myra  in  Lycia.  Paul  had  been  along  this  coast  before, 
having  stopped  at  Patara  on  his  return  trip  from  his  third 
missionary  journey. 

Julius  found  in  Myra  an  Alexandrian  ship  which  was 
expecting  to  sail  directly  to  Italy,  so  he  took  his  prisoners 
aboard  this  vessel.  This  ship  must  have  been  a  large 
vessel  for  those  days.  She  was  loaded  with  a  cargo  of 
wheat,  probably  a  part  of  the  season’s  crop  which  was 
being  shipped  to  Rome.  Besides  her  cargo  she  carried 
two  hundred  and  seventy-six  persons  counting  crew  and 
passengers. 

Battling  with  Contrary  Winds.  Acts  27 :7,  8.  Tem¬ 
pestuous  western  winds  continued  to  blow  and  the  vessel 
crept  slowly  along  the  coast.  It  took  many  days  to  cover 
the  two  hundred  and  forty  miles  between  Myra  and 
Cnidus.  Having  reached  the  neighborhood  of  Cnidus, 
the  vessel  could  no  longer  face  the  strong  winds  of  the 
open  sea  which  lay  beyond,  so  she  tacked  to  the  south- 


220  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


ward  seeking  the  shelter  of  the  island  of  Crete.  Passing 
Cape  Salmone  the  vessel  again  faced  directly  westward. 
Under  the  shelter  of  the  island  some  progress  was  pos¬ 
sible,  but  it  was  slow.  Finally  the  vessel  reached  the 
harbor  of  Fair  Havens  on  the  southern  coast  of  Crete  and 
near  the  city  of  Lasea. 

Anxious  Days  and  Divided  Counsels.  Acts  27:9-13. 
The  season  was  now  unduly  advanced.  It  was  October 
and  all  shipping  usually  was  tied  up  from  November  to 
February.  The  passengers  and  sailors  and  officers  talked 
over  the  situation.  Some  were  in  favor  of  spending  the 
winter  in  Fair  Havens.  Some  were  anxious  to  push  on 
westward  that  they  might  at  least  reach  the  city  of 
Phoenix  where  there  was  a  good  harbor.  Paul  advised 
the  centurion  to  hold  the  vessel  in  Fair  Havens,  but  the 
master  and  the  owner  of  the  ship  thought  best  to  set  sail 
for  Phoenix.  Most  of  the  company  on  board  took  sides 
with  the  master  and  owner  of  the  ship  against  Paul,  so 
the  centurion  whose  word  must  decide  the  matter  finally 
ordered  that  the  vessel  proceed.  Perhaps  the  centurion 
might  have  taken  Paul’s  advice,  had  it  not  been  that  the 
strong  western  wind  died  down  and  a  gentle  wind  from 
the  south  sprang  up.  So  when  the  sailors  had  weighed 
anchor,  the  ship  put  out  to  sea  and  turned  westward. 
They  sailed  close  to  shore,  not  knowing  what  might  hap¬ 
pen  at  that  season  of  the  year  and  wishing  to  be  within 
the  protection  of  the  hills  should  the  strong  western  gale 
spring  up  again. 

In  the  Grip  of  Euraquilo.  Acts  27 : 14-20.  As  the  ves¬ 
sel  was  sailing  along  close  to  the  shore  of  Crete  a  terrific 
gale  suddenly  sprang  up  from  the  northeast.  Luke  calls 
this  wind  Euraquilo,  which  means  in  the  Greek  language 
the  northeast  wind,  or  the  northeast  tempest.  These 
northeast  winds  are  still  common  on  the  Mediterranean 
and  bring  the  most  dangerous  storms  known  in  that 
region.  The  tempest  was  so  strong  that  the  ship  could 
not  even  sail  in  a  quartering  direction,  but  was  compelled 
to  drift  before  the  wind.  There  is  a  small  island  named 
Cauda  which  lies  off  the  southwest  coast  of  Crete.  To¬ 
ward  this  island  the  vessel  was  driven  by  the  hurricane. 
Getting  under  the  shelter  of  this  small  island,  the  sailors 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  221 


seized  the  opportunity  to  hoist  the  boat  on  board.  Most 
ships  of  that  day  carried  a  boat  of  considerable  size  which 
they  towed  behind  the  ship,  the  boat  being  fastened  to  the 
ship  by  a  cable  or  strong  rope.  In  times  of  violent  storms 
it  was  necessary  to  hoist  the  boat  on  deck  or  to  cut  it 
loose,  for  there  was  danger  lest  it  be  dashed  against  the 
ship  so  violently  that  the  sides  of  the  ship  would  be  caved 
in.  During  the  brief  time  during  which  the  ship  was 
under  the  partial  protection  of  the  island,  the  sailors 
managed  to  get  the  boat  on  board. 

With  the  boat  safely  on  deck,  the  sailors  made  further 
preparation  for  the  struggle  with  the  waves  which  they 
knew  must  begin  again  as  soon  as  the  ship  drifted  beyond 
the  protection  of  the  island.  They  took  a  long  cable, 
a  kind  of  huge  rope,  and  forming  a  large  loop  passed  it 
over  the  bow  of  the  ship  and  drew  it  back  amidships. 
They  did  this  again  and  again  thus  binding  the  vessel 
as  a  boy  would  rap  a  string  about  a  broomstick.  Then  the 
cable  was  fastened  to  a  kind  of  windlass  and  drawn  tight. 
The  hull  of  the  ship  was  thus  greatly  strengthened  and 
without  this  binding  it  would  soon  have  gone  to  pieces  in 
the  storm.  The  sailors  took  down  the  big  sail,  lest  the 
masts  should  be  swept  away  in  the  tempest,  and  putting 
up  a  small  storm  sail,  they  endeavored  to  steer  the  ship 
as  much  as  they  could  in  a  northwesterly  direction. 
On  the  north  coast  of  Africa  is  a  dreary  stretch  of  sandy 
shore  called  in  that  day  the  Syrtis.  The  northeast  wind 
was  driving  the  ship  straight  for  this  strip  of  sandy  coast 
and  the  dread  of  it  filled  all  hearts.  If  the  ship  could  only 
keep  in  the  open  sea,  she  might  live  through  the  tempest, 
but  if  she  struck  the  Svrtis,  all  would  be  lost. 

A  Life  and  Death  Struggle  Which  Lasted  for  Two 
Weeks.  Acts  27 : 18-26.  All  on  board  the  vessel  knew 
that  their  chances  of  escape  from  the  tempest  were 
meager.  Yet  they  determined  to  do  their  best.  Every¬ 
body  helped.  Luke  wrote,  “We  labored  exceedingly  with 
the  storm.”  The  vessel  began  to  show  signs  of  founder¬ 
ing.  Everything  possible  must  be  done  to  lighten  her. 
Seizing  upon  the  sacks  of  wheat,  they  cast  them  over¬ 
board.  Then  they  threw  out  the  chairs,  tables,  ropes, 
anything  which  would  lessen  the  weight  of  the  ship. 


222  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Day  after  day  and  night  after  night  they  battled  with 
the  waves,  casting  out  everything  they  could  to  make  the 
ship  lighter,  pumping  out  the  water  which  was  beginning 
to  spout  in  through  the  opening  cracks  in  the  hull,  stop¬ 
ping  each  leak  as  best  they  could  with  plugs  of  wood  and 
bits  of  sail.  No  sun  appeared  by  day  and  no  stars  by 
night.  No  one  knew  where  the  vessel  might  be.  The 
booming  of  the  Syrtis  breakers  might  be  heard  at  any 
moment.  They  could  not  tell  on  what  part  of  the  sea  the 
vessel  was  because  they  could  not  see  the  stars  or  the 
sun.  They  forgot  to  take  food,  and  gradually  a  dark 
despair  began  to  settle  down  upon  them  all.  Luke  writes, 
“All  hope  that  we  should  be  saved  was  now  taken  away.” 

Paul  had  battled  as  heroically  as  anyone  else.  He  had 
helped  to  lighten  the  ship.  He  had  taken  his  turn  at  the 
pumps.  Now  he  saw  that  the  end  was  at  hand  unless 
new  hope  could  be  given  to  the  sailors  and  the  passengers. 
He  noted  that  one  by  one  they  were  giving  up.  The 
water  began  to  rise  higher  down  in  the  holds.  The  waves 
broke  with  greater  force  across  the  decks  and  they  came 
more  frequently.  The  vessel  was  sinking  deeper  and 
deeper  and  would  soon  go  down  unless  the  sailors  and  the 
passengers  should  resume  their  places  at  the  pumps. 

Paul  sought  the  spaces  below  deck.  He  was  calm  with 
that  deep  calmness  born  of  an  unfaltering  trust  in  God. 
He  knelt  there  in  the  darkness  and  asked  God  to  spare  the 
lives  of  all  who  were  on  board  the  vessel.  Suddenly  he 
seemed  to  see  a  bright  angel  standing  before  him  and  he 
heard  some  one  say,  “Fear  not  Paul;  thou  must  stand 
before  Caesar :  and  lo,  God  hath  granted  thee  all  them 
that  sail  with  thee.”  Rushing  to  the  deck,  Paul  cried  out, 
“Be  of  good  cheer;  for  there  shall  be  no  loss  of  life 
among  you,  but  only  of  the  ship.”  He  told  them  of  the 
vision  and  the  words  of  the  angel,  and  new  hope  entered 
into  the  souls  of  all  the  company. 

Suggestions  for  Notebook  Work 

Trace  on  the  notebook  maps  Paul’s  journey  from  Caesa¬ 
rea  to  Sidon,  to  the  coast  of  Cyprus,  to  Myra,  to  Cnidus, 
to  Fair  Havens,  to  Cauda.  Pictures :  St.  Paul  Ship¬ 
wrecked,  No.  447 ;  St.  Paul  Casting  Off  the  Viper,  No.  598. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  223 

SUNDAY  SESSION 

CAST  UPON  THE  ISLAND  OF  MALTA 
Acts  27:27-44;  28:1-6 

Paul  had  saved  the  crew  and  passengers  from  death 
when  through  faith  in  God  he  was  able  to  awaken  their 
hearts  to  a  new  hope.  He  had  shown  himself  to  be  the 
strongest  person  on  board.  Though  a  prisoner,  he  had 
stepped  out  into  the  place  of  leadership  which  rightfully 
belonged  to  him  as  the  most  capable  person  on  board 
the  ship.  In  the  hour  of  testing  he  had  not  been  found 
wanting  in  courage,  faith,  and  perseverance.  The  imme¬ 
diate  peril  was  averted  when  the  sailors  and  the  passen¬ 
gers  were  aroused  from  despair,  but  Paul’s  presence  in 
the  party  was  still  necessary.  He  was  to  save  his  fellow 
travelers  again  and  again  in  times  of  extreme  peril  before 
they  would  all  be  safe  on  land.  When  the  party  left 
Myra,  the  captain  of  the  ship  was  in  charge.  A  little 
later  as  dangers  began  to  threaten,  the  centurion  who  was 
in  charge  of  Paul  took  command,  as  he  had  a  right  to  do 
as  a  representative  of  the  emperor.  Before  the  company 
reached  shore,  Paul,  the  prisoner,  was  in  almost  complete 
charge  of  affairs,  because  he  had  shown  himself  to  be  the 
most  courageous  and  resourceful  man  on  board.  ' 

A  Landfall  at  Midnight.  Acts  27  :2 7-32.  Sailors  call 
it  a  landfall  whenever  they  reach  a  coast.  The  four¬ 
teenth  day  after  the  tempest  had  struck  the  vessel,  the 
sailors  told  the  company  on  board  the  storm-tossed  vessel 
that  they  were  nearing  land.  Sailors  often  have  a  won¬ 
derful  instinct  in  such  matters.  They  seem  to  be  able  to 
detect  the  presence  of  land  when  none  is  in  sight  and  no 
sound  of  surf-beaten  shore  could  possibly  reach  their 
ears.  When  sailors  suspect  they  are  getting  near  some 
coast,  especially  when  the  land  is  hidden  by  darkness  or 
fog,  they  let  down  a  line  to  see  how  deep  the  water  is. 
After  a  little  while  they  let  down  the  line  again.  If  they 
find  the  water  becoming  shallower,  they  are  sure  that 
they  are  moving  toward  land  which  is  not  far  away.  So 
the  sailors  on  this  vessel  sounded  and  found  that  the 
water  was  about  twenty  fathoms  deep.  A  little  later  they 
sounded  again  and  found  fifteen  fathoms.  They  knew 


224  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 

they  were  nearing  some  coast.  To  strike  land  in  such  a 
storm  and  in  the  blackness  of  midnight  meant  certain 
death. 

Quickly  casting  out  four  anchors  from  the  stern  of  the 
ship,  they  were  able  to  arrest  her  drift  toward  shore. 
Then  the  sailors  conspired  to  desert  the  ship  and  save 
themselves.  It  is  often  possible  to  land  on  a  coast  from 
a  small  boat  when  it  is  impossible  to  land  directly  from 
a  ship.  The  sailors  believed  that  they  could  make  shore 
safely  in  the  boat  which  still  lay  on  the  deck  lashed  to 
the  ship  with  cables.  They  pretended  that  it  was  neces¬ 
sary  to  cast  some  anchors  from  the  foreship  to  prevent 
her  from  dragging  the  four  anchors  which  had  been  cast 
out  from  the  stern.  They  pretended  that  they  were  going 
to  put  these  anchors  in  the  boat,  take  them  out  a  little 
way,  and  drop  them  into  the  sea,  intending  as  soon  as 
they  were  in  the  boat  to  make  away  toward  land  in  an 
effort  to  save  themselves.  With  this  end  in  view  they 
lowered  the  boat  into  the  sea. 

Paul  seems  to  have  been  the  only  person  on  board  who 
detected  the  intentions  of  the  sailors.  He  said  to  the 
centurion  and  to  the  soldiers,  “Except  these  abide  in  the 
ship,  ye  cannot  be  saved.”  Then  the  soldiers  cut  the 
ropes  which  attached  the  boat  to  the  ship  and  it  quickly 
drifted  away. 

The  Dawning  Day  and  Reviving  Hopes.  Acts  27 :33- 
38.  Paul  realized  that  the  company  were  all  weak  from 
long  fasting  and  that  they  would  need  strength  and  cour¬ 
age  for  the  undertakings  just  ahead.  So  as  the  day  began 
to  dawn,  he  took  food  and  urged  his  fellow  travelers  to 
eat.  He  encouraged  them  by  telling  them  that  not  one 
of  them  would  be  drowned  or  even  injured.  His  words 
had  a  marked  effect.  The  company  became  cheerful  as 
they  ate  and  talked  over  plans  for  getting  ashore.  They 
began  to  make  preparation  for  an  attempt  to  bring  the 
vessel  to  land.  They  had  saved  a  part  of  the  wheat  for 
food,  but  now  they  threw  even  that  overboard  in  order 
to  lighten  the  vessel  further. 

The  Landing.  Acts  27 :39-44.  As  the  daylight  in¬ 
creased,  they  were  able  to  see  the  shore,  but  no  one 
could  say  what  land  it  was.  A  little  bay  lay  just  before 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  225 


them  and  beyond  it  was  a  sloping  sandy  beach.  They 
talked  matters  over.  If  they  could  run  the  vessel  into  the 
calmer  water  within  the  bay,  they  might  be  able  to  land 
safely  on  the  beach.  It  was  decided  to  make  the  attempt. 
They  cut  the  anchor  chains,  leaving  the  four  anchors  at 
the  lDottom  of  the  sea.  They  unloosed  the  rudder  so  as 
to  be  able  to  steer  the  ship.  They  put  up  a  sail  and  made 
for  the  opening  which  led  into  the  bay. 

But  the  water  at  the  mouth  of  the  bay  was  not  deep 
enough  to  permit  the  vessel  to  enter,  or  perhaps  the  vessel 
was  driven  from  her  course.  At  all  events,  the  prow  of 
the  ship  struck  the  sandy  bottom  and  stuck  fast.  The 
waves  now  began  to  tear  the  ship  to  pieces.  A  vessel 
afloat  can  battle  with  terrific  waves,  but  a  vessel  aground 
and  in  a  storm  goes  to  pieces  in  short  order.  The  hind 
part  of  the  vessel  began  to  break  in  pieces.  In  the  excite¬ 
ment  some  of  the  soldiers  cried  out  that  they  ought  to  kill 
all  the  prisoners  lest  some  of  them  swim  out  and  escape. 
It  was  the  law  of  the  times  that  if  an  officer  allowed 
prisoners  entrusted  to  his  care  to  get  away,  his  own  life 
should  pay  the  penalty.  The  soldiers  were  about  to  carry 
out  their  suggestion,  but  the  centurion  thought  of  Paul 
and  forbade  the  soldiers  to  kill  the  prisoners.  The  cen¬ 
turion  gave  orders  that  all  who  could  swim  should  cast 
themselves  into  the  sea  and  swim  ashore.  The  others 
were  to  lay  hold  on  planks  and  other  portions  of  the  ship. 
The  swimmers  having  reached  land  were  able  to  rescue 
those  who  could  not  swim,  as  they  came  floating  in  upon 
the  wreckage.  So  it  came  to  pass  that  all  landed  safely. 

Hospitably  Received  by  the  Barbarians  of  Malta. 
Acts  28:1-6.  The  inhabitants  of  the  island  were  bar¬ 
barians,  that  is,  they  were  natives  of  the  place,  not  Greeks 
or  Romans  who  had  come  there  as  colonists.  They  told 
the  shipwrecked  company  that  the  island  was  called 
Malta,  so  the  sailors  and  passengers  knew  that  they  had 
been  driven  for  more  than  five  hundred  miles  by  the  tem¬ 
pest.  It  was  cold  and  raining,  so  the  inhabitants  of  the 
island  gathered  some  fuel  and  started  a  fire  so  that  the 
shipwrecked  people  might  warm  themselves  and  dry  their 
clothes  a  little  before  attempting  to  reach  the  settlements 
which  were  evidently  some  distance  from  the  beach. 


226  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 

It  was  like  Paul  to  take  a  hand  in  these  efforts  for  the 
comfort  of  his  fellow  travelers.  He  began  to  help  gather 
fuel.  He  found  a  pile  of  sticks  which  seemed  dry  enough 
to  burn  and  carried  them  to  the  fire.  As  he  was  arrang¬ 
ing  the  fuel  so  that  it  would  ignite  quickly,  a  viper 
came  out  of  the  armful  of  sticks  and  stuck  its  fangs  into 
Paul’s  hand.  It  was  like  Paul  to  make  no  fuss  about  the 
matter.  He  shook  of  the  reptile  into  the  fire  and  then 
went  about  his  work  of  gathering  more  fuel.  Some  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  island  began  to  say  to  one  another  that 
Paul  was  probably  a  murderer  whom  the  god  Justice  had 
not  permitted  to  live  even  though  he  had  escaped  from 
death  by  shipwreck.  They  expected  to  see  Paul’s  hand 
begin  to  swell,  or  to  see  him  fall  down  dead  suddenly. 
When  nothing  of  this  kind  took  place,  the  people  changed 
their  minds  and  concluded  that  Paul  was  a  god.  Thus 
for  the  second  time  barbarian  people  took  Paul  for  a  god. 
How  different  the  circumstances,  however!  In  far-away 
Lystra  Paul’s  power  to  heal  in  the  name  of  Jesus  had 
made  the  people  think  that  he  must  be  a  divine  being. 
Here  on  the  storm-swept  beach  of  Malta  the  barbarians 
were  so  impressed  by  the  power  of  Paul  that  they,  too, 
believed  him  to  be  a  god. 

The  Lesson  Prayer 

We  thank  thee,  our  Father  in  heaven,  for  the  story  of 
Paul,  the  hero  who  faced  great  dangers  courageously. 
Teach  us  to  see  how  great  and  brave  he  was.  Help  us  to 
see  what  it  was  that  made  him  great  and  courageous.  For¬ 
give  us  if  we  have  been  cowardly,  if  we  have  sometimes 
hesitated  to  stand  up  for  what  we  know  to  be  right  and 
true.  Lead  us  through  each  experience  of  life  that  we 
may  learn  the  lessons  which  these  experiences  have  for 
us.  Help  us  to  be  like  Paul  who  was  so  strong,  faithful, 
and  true.  Help  us  to  be  like  thy  perfect  Son  who  was 
Paul’s  Helper  and  the  Pattern  after  which  Paul’s  life  was 
fashioned.  We  ask  in  Jesus’  name.  Amen. 

Supplemental  Missionary  Story 

“  ‘A  Man  Who  Can  Turn  His  Hand  to  Anything.’  ” 
“The  Book  of  Missionary  Heroes,”  page  158. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  227 


EXPRESSION AL  SESSION 

THE  PLACE  OF  FAITH  IN  A  GREAT  AND 

USEFUL  LIFE 

Heb.,  ch.  11 

In  the  preceding  lessons  we  have  seen  how  Paul  sa\'ed 
his  companions  by  his  heroic  courage.  The  kind  of  hero¬ 
ism  which  Paul  showed  is  born  of  a  firm  faith  in  God. 
Most  people  who  have  lived  great  and  useful  lives  have 
had  a  faith  like  that  which  Paul  possessed.  The  greater 
and  stronger  their  faith  in  God,  the  greater  and  more 
useful  they  have  been.  The  chapter  which  has  been 
chosen  as  a  basis  for  this  lesson  is  one  of  the  great  chap¬ 
ters  of  the  Bible  because  it  tells  us  a  great  deal  about 
faith. 

Faith  in  God  is  one  of  the  greatest  treasures  a  boy  or 
girl  can  possess.  It  guards  them  from  things  which  are 
low  and  selfish  and  evil.  A  young  person  who  has  faith 
in  God  says  at  all  times,  “Thou  God  seest  me.”  Faith 
in  God  makes  young  people  ambitious.  Believing  in 
God  as  their  Father,  they  are  anxious  to  be  about  their 
Father’s  business.  They  are  unwilling  to  waste  the  pre¬ 
cious  morning  hours  of  life  in  foolish  and  unsatisfying 
pleasure-seeking. 

Some  Truths  erom  the  Lessons  We  Have 

Been  Studying 

People  come  to  have  confidence  in  anyone  who  mani¬ 
fests  a  strong  religious  faith.  The  centurion  quickly  came 
to  have  confidence  in  Paul.  Many  employers  have  found 
that  they  can  always  trust  a  young  person  who  is  mani¬ 
festly  a  Christian. 

The  soldiers  and  sailors  on  the  vessel  with  Paul  were 
doubtless  pagans.  They  believed  in  the  gods  of  Greece 
and  Rome.  Faith  in  these  gods  could  not  make  them  so 
strong  and  courageous  as  Paul  proved  himself  to  be. 
Christian  faith,  and  not  the  mere  credulity  of  a  pagan 
mind,  makes  life  great  and  strong. 

Faith  does  not  lead  to  inactivity,  but  to  intense  activity. 
Paul  was  the  busiest  person  on  board  the  ship  and  he 
field  out  when  others  gave  up. 


228  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Faith  in  God  gives  the  self-confidence  necessary  for  real 
leadership.  Paul  had  absolutely  no  authority  when  he 
went  aboard  the  ship  to  go  to  Rome.  He  was  a  prisoner 
and  supposed  to  obey  the  centurion.  Before  the  end  of 
the  voyage  he  was  giving  the  orders  and  the  centurion 
and  all  the  others  were  obeying  him.  This  change  could 
not  have  taken  place  if  Paul  had  not  had  faith  in  God. 

Faith  in  God  makes  people  humble  and  democratic. 
Paul  was  not  ashamed  to  work  with  his  hands  and  to 
pick  up  sticks  with  barbarians. 

Review  Questions 

1.  Trace  on  the  map  Paul’s  trip  from  Caesarea  to 
Malta. 

2.  What  reason  have  we  to  believe  that  Paul  was  ill 
when  the  ship  reached  Sidon? 

3.  Tell  about  the  controversy  concerning  whether  or 
not  the  vessel  should  leave  Fair  Havens. 

4.  Tell  about  the  coming  of  the  northeast  tempest. 

5.  What  did  the  sailors  do  to  make  the  ship  safe? 

6.  How  did  Paul  save  his  fellow  travelers  when  they 
had  given  up  in  despair? 

7.  Tell  of  other  occasions  when  Paul’s  advice  probably 
saved  the  entire  company. 

8.  What  did  Paul  do  to  help  to  get  all  the  people 
safely  to  land? 

9.  Why  did  the  people  of  Malta  think  that  Paul  was 
a  god? 

10.  Name  qualities  of  character  which  Paul  mani¬ 
fested  during  the  storm  and  the  shipwreck. 

Bibee  Verses 

A  Definition  of  Faith.  Heb.  11 :1. 

The  Faith  of  Abel.  Heb.  1 1 :4. 

The  Faith  of  Noah.  Heb.  11 :7. 

How  Abraham  Showed  His  Faith.  Heb.  11:8-10, 
17-19. 

The  Faith  of  Moses’  Parents.  Heb.  11 :23. 

How  Faith  Helped  Moses  to  Make  a  Great  Life  Deci¬ 
sion.  Heb.  11:24-26. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  229 

How  Faith  Helped  Moses  to  Accomplish  a  Great  Life 
Task.  Heb.  1 1 :27-29. 

Some  Old  Testament  Heroes  of  the  Faith.  Heb.  11 :32. 

The  Power  Which  Is  Born  of  a  Faith  in  God.  Heb. 
11:33-38. 

Why  We  Need  Faith  to  Finish  the  Great  Task  Which 
Others  Have  Begun.  Heb.  11 :39  to  12:2. 

Study  Topics 

1.  What  Jesus  Taught  Concerning  Faith.  Matt. 
17:14-21. 

2.  Faith  and  Love.  I  Cor.  13:2. 

3.  What  John  the  Disciple  Said  About  Faith.  I  John 
5:1-12. 

4.  Faith  and  Democratic  Brotherhood  Within  the 
Church.  James  2:1-13. 

5.  True  Faith  Manifested  in  Works  of  Love  and 
Mercy.  James  1 :27 ;  2 :14-26. 

6.  Washington’s  Task.  (An  incident  in  the  life  of 
Washington  which  proves  that  he  had  faith  in  God.) 

7.  Lincoln’s  Faith.  (An  incident  in  the  life  of  Lincoln 
which  proves  that  he  had  faith  in  God.) 

8.  How  Faith  in  God  Helps  a  Person  to  Be  Success¬ 
ful  in  Business. 

9.  The  Hindering  Power  of  Doubt.  Matt.  13:54-58. 

10.  Ways  in  Which  Faith  in  God  Can  Help  a  Boy  or 
Girl. 

The:  Lesson  Truth  Expressed  in  a  Law 

The  Law  of  Christian  Faith.  Faith  in  God  and  in 

Jesus  Christ  enables  its  possessor  to  live  a  strong  and 
useful  life.  Therefore : 

1.  We  here  and  now  confess  our  faith  in  God  as  the 
Father  of  our  spirit  and  the  Creator  of  the  universe. 

2.  We  confess  our  faith  in  Jesus  as  the  Son  of  God 
and  the  Saviour  of  the  world. 

3.  We  confess  our  faith  in  the  great  truths  which 
Jesus  revealed  and  taught,  namely,  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead,  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  the  life  everlasting. 

(To  be  subscribed  to  by  pupils  who  are  willing  to  do  so 
after  serious  consideration.) 


230  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Projects  for  Putting  the  Lesson  Truths 

Into  Practice 

If  pupils  have  for  the  first  time  subscribed  to  the  state¬ 
ments  contained  in  the  Law  of  Christian  Faith  given  in 
the  preceding  paragraph,  it  has  been  a  Decision  Day  for 
them.  Talk  over  what  James  said  about  “pure  religion” 
and  the  necessity  for  manifesting  faith  in  works.  Have 
the  pupils  undertake  some  Christian  service ;  possibly 
they  can  follow  the  admonitions  of  James  literally  and 
“visit  the  fatherless  and  widows  in  their  affliction.”  The 
teacher  might  tell  about  Charles  Sheldon’s  book,  “In  His 
Steps,”  and  have  pupils  undertake  to  do  for  some  stated 
period  exactly  what  they  believe  Jesus  would  do  under 
the  same  conditions. 


CHAPTER  XVII 


THE  END  OF  THE  LONG  SEA  VOYAGE  AND 
THE  TRIAL  BEFORE  THE  EMPEROR 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

FROM  MALTA  TO  ROME 
Acts  28 :7-31 

The  island  on  which  Paul  and  his  companions  had 
landed  is  only  fifty-eight  miles  south  of  Sicily.  It  has 
an  area  of  about  ninety-five  square  miles  and  in  the  time 
of  Paul  it  had  been  under  the  control  of  the  Romans  for 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty  years.  Most  of  the  inhabi¬ 
tants  were  descendants  of  Carthaginians  and  spoke  the 
Punic  language,  that  is,  the  language  of  Carthage  and 
other  cities  like  Tyre  and  Sidon.  Some  of  them  were 
able  to  speak  in  Latin  so  that  Paul  and  his  company 
had  no  difficulty  in  talking  with  them. 

Paul  in  the  Home  of  Publius.  Acts  28:7-10.  Publius 
was  the  name  of  the  man  who  under  the  direction 
of  the  Roman  Senate,  ruled  the  little  realm  at  the  time 
Paul  landed  there.  Certain  lands  near  the  place  of 
landing  belonged  to  Publius  and  he  invited  the  destitute 
company  to  come  to  his  own  home.  There  he  cared  for 
them  for  three  days  until  they  were  able  to  find  shelter 
elsewhere  on  the  island.  Paul  brought  a  blessing  to  the 
home  of  Publius  while  he  was  a  guest  there.  The  father 
of  Publius  lay  sick  of  a  fever.  Paul  entered  the  room  of 
the  sick  man,  prayed,  and  laid  his  hands  upon  him. 
Publius’  father  was  healed  of  his  illness  and  the  report 
spread  throughout  the  island.  Many  who  had  sick  rela¬ 
tives  and  friends  brought  them  to  Paul  and  he  was  able 
to  heal  many  of  them.  We  may  be  sure  that  as  he  healed 
the  bodies  of  the  people  Paul  told  them  about  Jesus  in 
whose  name  he  performed  his  miracles  of  healing. 

Before  the  close  of  his  stay  in  the  island,  Paul  won  the 
hearts  of  the  people.  The  inhabitants  sought  to  honor  him 

231 


232  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


in  many  ways  and  when  the  time  came  for  him  to  sail  away 
to  Rome,  they  brought  him  many  gifts  and  abundant 
supplies  for  the  journey.  It  may  be  that  Paul’s  influence 
in  the  island  led  to  the  establishment  of  a  church  there. 
Certain  ancient  inscriptions  have  been  discovered  in 
Malta  which  seem  to  indicate  that  Christianity  existed 
in  the  island  early  in  the  second  century. 

Putting  Out  to  Sea  Once  More.  Acts  28:11-16.  The 
company  remained  three  months  in  Malta.  Spring  begins 
by  the  first  of  February  in  the  region  of  the  Mediter¬ 
ranean.  So  about  the  first  of  that  month  a  ship  of  Alex¬ 
andria  which  had  wintered  in  Malta  made  ready  to  sail 
northward  into  Italy.  Luke  tells  us  that  the  name  of 
this  ship  was  The  Twin  Brothers.  Perhaps  the  ship  had 
as  its  headpiece  images  of  Castor  and  Pollux,  two  gods 
who  were  supposed  to  exercise  special  care  over  sailors. 
This  was  doubtless  a  ship  laden  with  wheat  like  that 
which  had  been  shipwrecked  with  Paul  and  the  other 
travelers  on  board. 

The  ship  anchored  in  the  harbor  of  Syracuse  on  the 
eastern  coast  of  the  island  of  Sicily  and  remained  there 
for  three  days,  discharging  cargo  and  taking  on  freight 
for  Italy.  The  next  port  to  which  the  vessel  came  was 
Rhegium,  a  city  on  the  Straits  of  Messina,  which  are  here 
about  six  miles  wide.  Rhegium  lies  on  the  Italian  side  of 
the  strait  so  Paul  here  for  the  first  time  touched  Italian 
territory.  Paul  was  now  entering  a  region  made  historic 
by  the  classic  literature  of  Greece  and  Rome.  The  straits 
of  Messina  contained  the  Scylla  and  the  Charybdis,  the 
former  a  great  half-sunken  reef  of  rock,  the  latter  a  pow¬ 
erful  and  treacherous  whirlpool.  Between  these  two 
perils  the  sailors  of  that  day  had  to  steer  their  vessels. 

The  ship  paused  for  a  day  at  Rhegium,  but  when  a 
favorable  wind  sprang  up  from  the  south  the  sailors  took 
advantage  of  it  to  get  through  the  dangerous  straits. 
With  the  favorable  south  wind  to  help  them  along,  the 
party  sailed  rapidly  and  in  one  day  covered  the  two  hun¬ 
dred  miles  necessary  to  bring  them  to  Puteoli,  an  impor¬ 
tant  commercial  city  on  the  coast  north  of  the  Bay  of 
Naples.  Paul  and  his  companions  with  the  centurion  and 
soldiers  left  the  ship  at  Puteoli,  and  the  remainder  of  the 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  233 


journey  was  made  overland  to  Rome.  There  were  Chris¬ 
tians  in  Puteoli  and  they  besought  Paul  to  tarry  with 
them  for  a  time.  The  centurion  kindly  permitted  Paul 
and  his  companions  to  spend  a  week  with  these  Christian 
brethren  of  Puteoli.  Then  the  journey  toward  Rome  was 
renewed. 

On  the  great  Appian  Way  about  forty  miles  south  of 
Rome  was  a  place  called  the  Market  of  Appius.  Here 
certain  Christians  of  Rome  who  had  heard  that  Paul  was 
coming  met  him.  A  little  farther  on,  other  Christians 
met  him  at  a  place  called  The  Three  Taverns.  It  seems 
probable  that  Paul  was  approaching  the  great  city  which 
was  the  mistress  of  the  world,  with  some  dread  and  mis¬ 
giving.  He  was  going  to  stand  before  the  emperor,  and 
that  emperor  was  Nero.  Paul  was  not  accustomed  to 
quail  before  dangers,  when  he  was  in  a  normal  condition 
of  health  and  strength,  but  there  were  times  when  his 
nerves  seemed  about  to  give  way  under  the  tremendous 
strain  which  rested  upon  him.  This  was  evidently  his 
condition  as  he  journeyed  on  toward  the  great  city  now 
so  near  at  hand.  At  such  times  in  Paul’s  life  God  always 
came  to  his  help.  Sometimes  help  came  in  the  form  of 
a  shining  angel  who  spoke  to  Paul  in  visions  of  the  night. 
Sometimes  it  was  the  face  of  Jesus  which  appeared  and 
spoke  to  him  in  his  dreams.  In  this  case  God  sent  serv¬ 
ants  of  his  to  comfort  and  strengthen  Paul.  When  Paul 
saw  the  Christians  from  Rome,  heard  their  messages  of 
welcome,  and  their  words  concerning  the  progress  of  the 
Christian  religion  in  the  world’s  center  and  capital,  he 
lifted  his  heart  to  God  in  thanksgiving  and  went  on  with 
restored  courage  to  meet  whatever  fate  might  be  await¬ 
ing  him  in  the  great  city. 

When  Paul  entered  Rome  he  was  treated  kindly  by  the 
officers  of  the  emperor  into  whose  custody  he  was  given 
by  the  centurion.  Julius  doubtless  told  these  officers 
about  Paul’s  heroic  conduct  during  the  voyage  from 
Caesarea  to  Rome.  Paul  seems  to  have  come  into  posses¬ 
sion  of  a  considerable  sum  of  money  at  about  this  time. 
It  may  be  that  his  father  had  died  in  Tarsus  and  a  part  of 
the  family  inheritance  had  thus  come  into  Paul’s  posses¬ 
sion.  At  all  events  Paul  was  able  to  hire  a  house  where 


234  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


he  lived  in  comfort,  meeting  his  friends  and  carrying  on 
his  work  with  almost  no  interruption.  The  only  limita¬ 
tion  to  his  liberty  was  the  presence  of  a  Roman  soldier 
who  lived  in  Paul’s  house  and  accompanied  him  when  he 
went  out  upon  the  streets. 

Paul  Calls  the  Roman  Jews  Together.  Acts  28:17-22. 
Paul  always  tried  to  give  his  own  countrymen  the  first 
chance  to  receive  the  gospel  when  he  went  to  any  place 
where  he  had  not  preached  before.  He  followed  his  usual 
custom  in  Rome.  He  called  together  the  chief  Jews  of 
the  city  and  talked  with  them.  He  told  about  the  charges 
made  against  him  in  Jerusalem  and  his  trial  before  Roman 
governors.  He  told  them  that  he  had  called  them  to¬ 
gether  in  order  that  he  might  speak  to  them  concerning 
the  Christian  religion,  which  was  the  religion  concerning 
which  the  Hebrew  prophets  had  spoken  and  for  the  com¬ 
ing  of  which  godly  Jews  had  prayed  and  longed. 

The  Jews  replied  that  they  had  received  no  word  from 
Jerusalem  concerning  him.  They  had,  however,  heard 
about  the  Christian  religion  and  they  told  Paul  that  they 
had  heard  only  bad  reports  concerning  it,  that  it  was 
“everywhere  .  .  .  spoken  against.”  They  wished,  how¬ 
ever,  to  hear  more  about  this  new  religion  and  asked  that 
a  day  might  be  appointed  when  Paul  could  explain  it  to 
them  more  fully.  So  it  was  arranged  that  they  should 
come  back  at  a  certain  time  when  Paul  could  give  them 
more  information  concerning  the  religion  of  Jesus. 

An  All-Day  Meeting  with  the  Leading  Jews  of  Rome. 
Acts  28:23-28.  On  the  appointed  day  a  great  number  of 
Jews  came  to  Paul’s  house.  The  meeting  lasted  from 
morning  until  evening.  Paul’s  theme  was  the  Kingdom 
of  God.  This  was  a  subject  known  to  every  righteous 
Hebrew.  Paul  tried  to  show  them  how  Jesus  had  come  to 
set  up  a  Kingdom  greater  and  grander  than  anything  of 
which  they  had  ever  dreamed.  He  tried  to  show  them 
how  Moses  and  the  prophets  had  foretold  the  coming  of 
Jesus  and  the  establishment  of  the  kind  of  kingdom  which 
Jesus  was  now  setting  up  in  the  world. 

The  company  was  divided.  Some  believed  what  Paul 
taught,  others  disbelieved.  They  began  to  dispute  among 
themselves.  As  the  disbelieving  Jews  were  leaving  the 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  235 


place  of  meeting,  Paul  told  them  that  they  were  exactly 
like  certain  persons  concerning  whom  the  Hebrew  proph¬ 
ets  had  spoken.  He  said  that  their  hearts  had  “waxed 
gross”  and  that  their  ears  were  “dull  of  hearing.”  He 
warned  them  that  if  they  refused  to  hear  the  gospel  and 
would  not  believe  it.  he  would  turn  from  them  and  preach 
to  the  Gentiles.  He  declared  that  the  Gentiles  would 
hear  the  message  and  become  the  true  children  of  the 
Kingdom.  These  were  bold  and  courageous  words,  but 
Paul  never  preached  in  any  other  way.  Xo  one  could 
ever  say  that  he  lacked  the  courage  to  speak  the  truth  he 
believed  ought  to  be  spoken. 

Two  Years  in  His  Own  Hired  Dwelling.  Acts  28:30, 
31.  For  two  years  Paul  continued  to  live  in  his  own  hired 
dwelling,  preaching  the  gospel  of  Christ  to  all  who  came 
to  hear  him.  He  not  only  preached  but  also  taught,  that 
is,  he  appealed  to  unbelievers,  urging  them  to  become  fol¬ 
lowers  of  Jesus,  and  he  gathered  the  Christians  and 
taught  them  about  the  Christian  life  and  the  duties  which 
belong  to  one  who  is  a  disciple  of  Christ.  Neither  the 
Jews  of  Rome  nor  the  Roman  Government  made  any 
attempt  during  all  this  time  to  hinder  Paul.  This  unex¬ 
pected  opportunity  to  preach  and  teach  enabled  Paul  to 
put  the  Christian  church  of  Rome  on  a  firm  basis.  From 
Paul’s  hired  dwelling  Christianity  spread  through  the  city 
and  out  into  distant  provinces.  In  one  of  his  letters  Paul 
speaks  of  the  Christians  who  were  of  the  household  of 
Caesar  so  we  know  that  he  made  converts  among  those 
who  were  in  the  highest  circles  of  society  and  govern¬ 
ment.  Christianity  early  became  strong  in  the  Roman 
army  and  we  hear  of  a  great  company  of  Christian  sol¬ 
diers  who  were  called  “The  Praying  Legion.”  It  is  prob¬ 
able  that  this  conquest  of  the  armies  of  Rome  for  Christ 
began  during  the  two  years  when  Paul  was  preaching 
and  teaching  in  Rome. 

Suggestions  for  Notebook  Work 

Trace  on  the  notebook  maps  Paul’s  journey  from  Cauda 
to  Malta,  to  Syracuse,  to  Rhegium,  to  Puteoli,  to  The 
Market  of  Appius,  to  The  Three  Taverns,  and  thence  to 
Rome.  Picture :  Paul  Reaches  Rome  in  Chains,  Xo.  773. 


236  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

THE  FIRST  TRIAL  BEFORE  THE  EMPEROR 
Phil.  1 :12-30;  Philemon  22 

We  have  now  traced  Paul  through  the  narratives  of 
The  Acts.  That  part  of  his  life  which  extends  from  his 
conversion  to  his  arrival  in  Rome  is  presented  to  us  with 
a  good  deal  of  completeness  by  Luke,  the  good  physician. 
The  last  chapter  of  The  Acts  breaks  off  rather  suddenly, 
as  though  the  end  of  the  book  had  not  been  reached. 
This  is  probably  the  case.  Luke  remained  with  Paul  until 
the  time  of  Paul’s  death  or  until  near  that  time.  It  is 
reasonable  to  suppose  that  Luke  kept  right  on  recording 
the  events  in  Paul’s  life.  These  accounts,  however,  have 
never  been  discovered.  They  were  probably  destroyed 
during  some  of  the  stormy  times  of  persecution  which 
afflicted  the  early  Church. 

A  good  deal  more  about  Paul  can  be  learned  from  the 
letters  which  Paul  wrote  during  his  imprisonment.  Some 
information  can  likewise  be  obtained  from  the  writings 
of  men  who  lived  within  a  century  or  two  after  Paul’s 
death.  It  thus  happens  that  we  can  catch  only  glimpses 
of  the  great  apostle  as  he  nears  the  time  of  his  departure. 
These  glimpses,  however,  show  us  that  Paul  was  true  to 
the  end,  that  his  character  took  on  new  grandeur  the 
longer  he  lived  and  labored  for  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

The  Law’s  Delay.  We  do  not  know  just  why  Paul’s 
trial  before  the  emperor  was  postponed  for  more  than 
two  years.  It  may  be  that  his  enemies  in  Jerusalem  felt 
that  he  would  be  acquitted  in  the  trial.  They  had  reason 
to  feel  so,  for  he  had  been  declared  innocent  in  every 
court  where  the  case  had  been  tried  and  it  was  a  tech¬ 
nicality  which  made  it  necessary  to  try  him  again  in 
Rome.  So  the  Jews  of  Jerusalem  may  have  made  ex¬ 
cuses,  putting  off  the  trial  from  time  to  time,  and  so 
keeping  Paul  a  prisoner  in  Rome.  It  may  be  that  Paul 
himself  did  not  urge  a  speedy  trial  as  he  was  comfortably 
situated  in  Rome  and  had  a  splendid  opportunity  to 
preach  and  to  teach  there. 

A  Probable  Acquittal.  We  know  very  little  about 
Paul’s  first  trial  before  Nero.  From  his  letters  we  know 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  237 


that  he  expected  to  be  set  at  liberty  and  it  seems  likely 
that  the  case  was  decided  wholly  in  his  favor.  The  Jews 
had  no  charge  against  him  which  would  stand  in  a  Roman 
court  where  a  judge  of  any  honor  was  presiding.  Paul’s 
case  probably  came  up  before  the  persecutions  of  the 
Christians  began  in  Rome.  Nero  in  these  early  days  was 
really  not  a  bad  ruler.  He  had  not  yet  degenerated  into 
the  inhuman  monster  he  became  later.  It  is  probable 
that  he  pronounced  Paul  innocent,  or  it  may  be  that  the 
case  was  tried  before  some  representative  of  the  emperor 
rather  than  before  the  emperor  himself. 

The  Judaizers  Still  at  Work.  Phil.  1 :15-18.  In  Rome 
Paul  came  into  contact  with  his  old  enemies,  the  Judaiz¬ 
ers.  While  Paul  was  preaching  Christ  in  his  hired  dwell¬ 
ing,  these  enemies  of  Paul  were  doing  all  they  could  to 
hinder  him.  They  went  about  telling  Paul’s  converts 
that  they  must  keep  the  Jewish  law  and  observe  all  the 
Jewish  customs  if  they  wished  to  be  saved.  In  some  of 
the  letters  written  during  this  time,  Paul  vigorously  de¬ 
fends  the  gospel  which  he  has  preached.  It  must  have 
been  a  trying  thing  for  Paul  to  have  these  people  who 
called  themselves  Christians  hindering  his  work  during 
so  many  years.  He  faced  the  situation  manfully.  He 
was  a  good  fighter  for  the  truth  and  he  gradually  pre¬ 
vailed  over  his  antagonists. 

A  Journey  to  the  Bounds  of  the  West.  It  seems  prob¬ 
able  that  after  his  release  Paul  made  a  trip  to  Spain  and 
the  lands  of  the  distant  west.  A  man  named  Clement,  of 
Rome,  says  that  Paul  went  “to  the  bounds  of  the  west.” 
Since  Clement  wrote  these  words  about  the  year  A.  D.  95, 
and  therefore  only  about  thirty  years  after  Paul’s  death, 
it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  he  knew.  We  know  that 
Paul  planned  his  worfc  carefully,  looking  years  ahead. 
We  know  that  he  planned  to  visit  Rome  and  to  go  from 
there  to  Spain.  So  we  may  believe  that  this  great  dream 
of  his  life  to  carry  the  gospel  of  Jesus  to  the  utmost  west¬ 
ern  lands  was  realized.  Perhaps  Luke,  his  faithful  phy¬ 
sician,  accompanied  him  and  wrote  out  an  account  of  the 
journey  as  interesting  as  his  account  of  the  journey  to 
Rome.  Many  New  Testament  scholars  believe  that  it 
was  some  six  or  eight  years  after  Paul  reached  Rome 


238  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


that  he  was  put  to  death.  This  would  have  given  him 
ample  time  to  make  the  trip  to  Spain  and  the  tour  through 
the  east  to  be  described  in  the  next  paragraph. 

A  Tour  from  Rome  Eastward.  It  is  believed  that  Paul 
not  only  went  to  Spain,  but  that  he  also  made  a  trip 
through  Macedonia  and  Asia  between  the  time  of  his  first 
imprisonment  in  Rome  and  the  time  of  his  second  im¬ 
prisonment  there.  There  are  a  number  of  passages  in 
his  letters  which  make  this  eastern  trip  practically  cer¬ 
tain.  In  writing  to  Timothy  after  he  had  been  placed  a 
second  time  in  jail  at  Rome,  Paul  speaks  as  though  he 
had  recently  been  in  Troas.  He  asks  Timothy  to  bring 
his  cloak  and  his  book  and  manuscripts  which  he  left  in 
Troas.  It  is  not  likely  that  they  had  been  left  there  on 
some  visit  which  Paul  paid  to  the  city  four  or  five  years 
before.  It  is  more  probable  that  Paul  had  been  in  Troas 
the  preceding  summer,  had  left  his  cloak  there,  and  that 
writing  from  his  prison  cell  in  winter  he  asked  his  helper, 
Timothy,  to  bring  the  cloak  when  he  came. 

There  are  certain  traditions  also  which  have  come  down 
from  the  first  century  which  state  that  Paul  made  this 
trip  through  the  countries  lying  to  the  east  of  Rome.  We 
may,  therefore,  believe  that  Paul  rounded  out  his  life 
work  by  a  journey  to  the  farthest  western  lands  of  Europe 
and  then  paid  a  farewell  visit  to  the  churches  of  Mace¬ 
donia,  Greece,  and  Asia,  before  he  came  again  to  Rome 
to  make  the  last  full  measure  of  sacrifice  for  the  cause  he 
loved  more  than  life. 

Rome  in  the  Days  of  Paul.  Rome  was  a  wonderful, 
city  in  the  days  of  Paul,  the  most  wonderful  city  in  many 
ways  that  the  world  had  ever  seen.  From  it  great  stone 
roads  radiated  like  spokes  from  the  hub  of  a  wheel.  These 
roads  stretched  straight  across  hill  and  valley  out  to  the 
remote  provinces  of  the  vast  region  which  the  city  ruled. 
Along  these  roads  hurried  troops  of  travelers  on  their 
way  to  and  from  the  world’s  capital.  Roman  armies 
passed  along  them  bound  for  distant  frontiers  to  suppress 
some  insurrection  or  returning  to  the  capital  with  troops 
of  prisoners  to  grace  their  triumphal  march  through  the 
streets  of  the  city. 

Rome  was  built  on  seven  hills  and  its  white  palaces 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  239 


and  splendid  public  buildings  could  be  seen  from  afar. 
Into  the  city  several  great  stone  aqueducts  led  a  flood  of 
pure  water  from  the  Apennines  Mountains.  Trees  and 
shrines  lined  roads,  such  as  the  Appian  Way.  The 
city  had  magnificent  temples,  theaters,  and  gymnasiums. 

The  city  was  magnificent  without,  but  within  it 
was  full  of  wickedness  and  misery  and  injustice.  The 
common  people  were  for  the  most  part  idle  and  immoral. 
Practically  all  work  was  done  by  the  thousands  of  slaves 
who  swarmed  everywhere.  To  win  the  support  of  the 
people,  ambitious  politicians  gave  magnificent  shows 
wherein  men  fought  to  the  death  with  one  another  and 
with  wild  beasts.  The  emperor  of  Rome  was  an  absolute 
despot  whose  word  was  law  in  all  the  vast  stretches  of 
the  empire.  When  Paul  came  to  Rome,  Nero  was  the 
emperor.  In  a  few  years  he  was  to  degenerate  into  one 
of  the  most  monstrously  wicked  characters  that  history 
records.  There  were  some  true  and  honorable  men  and 
women  in  Rome,  but  their  numbers  were  few.  Seneca 
who  had  been  a  teacher  of  Nero  was  such  a  man.  Like 
others  of  his  day  he  had  lost  faith  in  the  idols  the  Romans 
worshiped,  but  he  had  come  to  believe  in  one  supreme 
God  who  was  the  Creator  of  the  universe.  Banished  to 
a  distant  and  lonely  spot,  he  could  look  up  into  the  sky 
at  night  and  wonder  about  the  glistening  multitude  of  the 
stars  and  say,  “I  am  as  near  to  God  here  as  I  am  in 
Rome.”  Men  like  Seneca  were  in  despair  about  the  future 
of  the  world.  They  could  see  little  hope  for  humanity. 
The  world  seemed  dark  and  the  darkness  seemed  to  be 
growing  more  dense. 

Paul,  however,  and  the  Christians,  had  a  hope  which 
men  like  Seneca  did  not  have.  The  Apostle  John  could 
say  in  this  time  of  darkness,  “The  darkness  is  passing 
away,  and  the  true  light  already  shineth.”  Paul  could 
say,  “The  night  is  far  spent,  and  the  day  is  at  hand :  let 
us  therefore  cast  off  the  works  of  darkness,  and  let  us  put 
on  the  armor  of  light.” 

The:  Lesson  Prayer 

Our  Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  thee  for  the  light  and 
joy  which  have  been  brought  into  the  world  by  thy  Son. 


240  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


We  thank  thee  for  the  example  set  by  thy  servant,  the 
apostle  of  whom  we  have  been  studying.  We  thank  thee 
for  his  faith,  his  determination,  his  zeal  in  thy  service. 
Grant  that  all  who  are  professed  followers  of  Jesus,  thy 
Son,  may  work  for  the  coming  of  his  Kingdom  in  the 
way  that  Paul  worked  for  it.  Develop  within  us  a  spirit 
of  devotion  to  all  that  is  true  and  good.  We  ask  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ.  Amen. 

Supplemental  Missionary  Story 

“A  Race  Against  Time.”  “The  Book  of  Missionary 
Heroes,”  page  224.  _ _ 

EXPRESSION AL  SESSION 

THE  PLACE  OF  AN  INDOMITABLE  WILL  IN  A  GREAT 

AND  USEFUL  LIFE 

I  Cor.  16 :8,  9 ;  II  Cor.  1 1 :23-33  ;  Rom.  8 :31-39 

Paul  is  a  good  example  of  indomitable  will  power.  Few 
characters  of  history  have  battled  against  such  great  ad¬ 
versities  and  won  such  signal  victories  as  did  he.  In  the 
Scripture  passages  chosen  for  this  lesson  Paul  tells  of 
some  hardships  through  which  he  passed.  But  Paul  not 
only  manifested  great  power  of  will  himself ;  he  also 
urged  others  to  develop  the  same  trait  of  character.  His 
own  words,  “Quit  you  like  men,  be  strong,”  expressed 
his  ideas  as  to  what  the  followers  of  Jesus  ought  to  be 
and  do. 

The  greatest  and  best  men  and  women  of  history  have 
had  strong  wills.  They  have  learned  to  will  rightly  and 
then  persevere  unfalteringly  in  the  chosen  course  of 
action.  Almost  anything  that  is  worth  while  is  difficult 
and  must  be  accomplished  in  the  face  of  constant  discour¬ 
agements.  Most  of  the  forward  steps  which  humanity 
has  taken  have  been  opposed  and  fought  by  people  who 
were  so  narrow-minded  and  so  lacking  in  vision  that  they 
could  not  see  that  any  forward  step  was  needed. 

In  a  strong  Christian  personality  the  will  to  do  right 
and  to  serve  God  must  be  master  over  all  other  desires. 
It  was  this  kind  of  will  that  made  Paul  such  a  power  for 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  241 


righteousness.  It  was  this  indomitable  will  that  carried 
him  through  all  the  years  of  danger  and  struggle  and 
enabled  him  to  gain  the  victory  over  enemies  who  seemed 
more  powerful  than  he. 

Some:  Truths  from  the  Lessons  We  Have 

Been  Studying 

Paul  had  an  unconquerable  desire  to  help  people  in 
any  way  he  could.  This  habit  of  helping  other  people 
was  also  a  great  help  to  himself.  It  won  for  him  the 
admiration  of  his  guards,  the  centurion  and  the  soldiers. 
It  won  the  friendship  of  nearly  all  the  inhabitants  of 
Malta. 

Paul  had  an  unconquerable  determination  to  be  just. 
He  called  together  the  Jews  of  Rome  that  he  might  give 
them  the  first  opportunity  to  accept  the  gospel. 

If  Paul  had  not  had  an  indomitable  will,  he  would 
have  been  only  a  daydreamer,  building  air  castles  con¬ 
cerning  a  trip  to  Rome  and  beyond  the  bounds  of  the  far 
western  lands.  His  will  power  enabled  him  to  make  the 
dreams  come  true. 

A  strong  will  enlisted  in  a  bad  cause  is  a  scourge  to 
humanity.  It  is  a  good  thing  for  the  world  that  Paul 
was  converted.  What  would  have  become  of  the  Church 
if  his  life  had  been  spent  as  a  persecutor  and  he  had  put 
into  his  persecution  the  tremendous  energy  he  put  into 
his  missionary  labors? 

Paul’s  will  power  enabled  him  to  overcome  many  diffi¬ 
culties.  Among  these  were  his  own  selfish  desires,  the 
opposition  of  his  relatives,  the  suspicion  of  the  Christians, 
the  resistance  of  the  Pharisees,  and  the  annoying  oppo¬ 
sition  of  the  Judaizers. 

Review  Questions 

1.  Tell  of  Paul’s  acts  during  the  three  months  spent 
on  Malta. 

2.  Describe  the  journey  from  Malta  to  Rome. 

3.  Why  was  Paul  glad  to  meet  the  Christians  who  had 
come  from  Rome  to  meet  him? 


242  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


4.  Why  did  Paul  call  the  Jews  of  Rome  together? 

5.  Tell  of  Paul’s  activities  during  the  two  years  he 
lived  in  his  own  hired  dwelling  in  Rome. 

6.  Why  was  Paul’s  trial  so  long  delayed? 

7.  What  evidences  are  there  that  Paul  was  acquitted 
in  his  first  trial  before  the  emperor? 

8.  Do  you  think  that  Paul  made  a  journey  to  Spain? 
Give  reasons  for  your  answer. 

9.  Why  do  New  Testament  scholars  believe  Paul 
made  a  journey  through  the  countries  to  the  east  of 
Italy  shortly  before  his  second  imprisonment? 

10.  Tell  what  you  can  of  Rome  in  the  time  of  Paul. 

Bible:  Ve:rse:s 

Ps.  40:8;  Dan.  4:35;  Isa.  50:7;  Matt.  6:10;  John  16:33; 
Acts  11:29;  Rom.  12:21;  I  Cor.  2:2;  I  John  2:14;  5:4; 
Rev.  2 :7. 

Study  Topics 

1.  The  Weak  Will  of  Pilate.  (Study  Gospel  narra¬ 
tives  concerning  how  Pilate  yielded  to  the  clamor  of  the 
Jews.) 

2.  The  Strong  Will  of  Martin  Luther.  (Look  up  nar¬ 
ratives  of  Luther  at  Diet  of  Worms  in  some  Church 
History.) 

3.  Why  a  Strong  Will  Is  Needed  by  Great  Explorers. 

4.  Why  a  Strong  Will  Is  Needed  by  Great  Inventors. 

5.  Why  a  Strong  Will  Is  Needed  by  Great  States¬ 
men. 

6.  Why  Will  Power  Is  Needed  If  a  Person  Is  to  Be 
a  Worth-While  Christian. 

7.  How  Jesus  Tested  the  Will  Power  of  Those  Who 
Wished  to  Be  His  Disciples.  Matt.  8:18-22. 

8.  Ways  in  Which  Boys  and  Girls  Can  Cultivate  Will 
Power.  (Getting  hard  lessons  in  school;  keeping  down 
anger  in  times  of  provocation,  et  cetera.) 

9.  Why  a  Strong  Will  May  be  a  Blessing  or  a  Curse. 

10.  The  Meaning  of  “Our  Wills  Are  Ours,  to  Make 
Them  Thine.” 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  243 


The  Lesson  Truth  Expressed  in  a  Law 

The  Law  of  the  Indomitable  Will.  The  accomplish¬ 
ment  of  important  tasks  calls  for  a  will  power  which  is 
strong  enough  to  overcome  all  obstacles.  Therefore : 

1.  We  will  strive  to  overcome  the  difficulties  which 
we  meet  from  day  to  day  that  our  wills  may  become 
strong  for  the  greater  tasks  of  the  after  years. 

2.  We  will  seek  to  know  the  will  of  God  and  to  bring 
our  wills  into  harmony  with  his  will. 

3.  We  will  seek  the  help  of  God  that  we  may  stand 
steadfastly  in  the  right  as  he  reveals  it  to  us. 

Projects  for  Putting  the  Lesson  Truths 

Into  Practice 

The  carrying  on  of  almost  any  class  activity  gives  an 
opportunity  to  train  pupils  in  will  power.  These  under¬ 
takings  fail  most  often  because  the  will  of  the  pupils  to 
carry  on  the  work  is  not  sufficient  to  carry  the  undertak¬ 
ings  through  to  the  desired  end.  Plan  for  some  under¬ 
taking  for  each  pupil — the  memorizing  of  a  psalm  or  the 
earning  of  a  sum  of  money  for  some  good  cause — and 
make  it  a  test  of  will  power.  It  might  be  called  the  “I 
Will  Contest.”  Have  reports  as  to  how  pupils  have  suc¬ 
ceeded  in  the  undertaking. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

LETTERS  WRITTEN  FROM  PRISON 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

LETTERS  OF  THE  FIRST  ROMAN  IMPRISONMENT 

Col.  4:7-18;  Philemon 

We  have  seen  how  active  Paul  was  during  his  first 
Roman  imprisonment.  He  was  continually  preaching 
and  teaching.  He  was  also  writing  many  letters  during 
this  time.  He  could  not  leave  Rome  to  visit  the  churches 
which  he  had  organized  here  and  there  over  a  large  part 
of  the  Roman  Empire,  but  he  could  write  to  these 
churches  and  to  those  who  were  in  charge  of  the  work 
which  he  had  begun.  He  took  up  this  task  with  dili¬ 
gence.  Paul  probably  had  no  idea  that  he  was  writing 
documents  which  would  become  a  part  of  the  Bible.  He 
was  trying  to  help  as  best  he  could  under  the  circum¬ 
stances.  Yet  four  of  the  letters  he  wrote  during  this 
period  have  become  a  part  of  the  New  Testament.  We 
know  that  he  wrote  other  letters  during  this  time.  In  his 
letter  to  the  Colossians  he  speaks  of  a  letter  which  he 
wrote  to  the  Christians  of  Laodicea.  This  letter  has  been 
lost.  Perhaps  we  have  only  a  small  part  of  the  letters 
Paul  wrote  during  the  time  when  he  was  a  prisoner  in 
Rome  living  in  his  own  hired  house. 

The  Letter  to  the  Ephesians.  Eph.  4:1-16.  Paul  had 
spent  nearly  three  years  in  Ephesus  and  it  is  natural 
that  he  should  have  had  a  deep  interest  in  the  Christian 
church  which  he  had  organized  in  that  great  city  and  that 
he  should  have  written  to  the  Ephesian  Christians  while 
he  was  a  prisoner  in  Rome.  The  letter  was  probably 
intended  not  only  for  the  Christians  of  Ephesus  but  for 
Christians  in  other  cities  as  well.  It  is  thought  that  Paul 
intended  it  to  be  circulated  among  the  churches  of  Asia 
Minor. 

The  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians  is  one  of  the  greatest  of 

244 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  245 


Paul’s  letters.  Its  subject  is  the  Church  of  Christ  as  the 
agency  to  be  used  of  God  for  the  salvation  of  the  world. 
It  tells  us  what  kind  of  people  we  ought  to  be  as  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  As  we  read  its  beautiful 
and  sublime  utterances,  we  know  that  the  man  who  wrote 
these  lines  was  one  of  the  greatest  thinkers  the  world 
has  ever  seen.  As  we  ponder  the  truths  expressed  in  the 
words,  we  are  convinced  that  God  was  speaking  to  the 
world  through  Paul,  that  the  letter  owes  its  greatness 
not  only  to  the  mental  power  of  the  man  who  wrote  it 
but  also  to  the  inspiration  of  that  Spirit  whom  Jesus  said 
should  guide  his  followers  “into  all  the  truth.” 

The  Letter  to  the  Colossians.  Col.  4:7-18.  It  is 
thought  that  Paul  wrote  his  letter  to  the  Colossians  at 
about  the  same  time  he  wrote  his  letter  to  the  Ephesians. 
The  two  are  somewhat  similar  in  thought  and  style, 
showing  that  they  were  written  under  similar  circum¬ 
stances  and  at  about  the  same  time.  The  Epistle  to  the 
Colossians  is  a  great  epistle.  It  deals  with  the  greatness 
and  majesty  of  the  character  of  Jesus.  Paul  declared 
that  we  have  redemption  and  forgiveness  of  sins  through 
Jesus  Christ.  He  calls  Jesus  “the  image  of  the  invisible 
God,  the  firstborn  of  all  creation.”  He  declared  that  all 
things  were  created  in  Christ,  that  he  is  over  all  things 
as  ruler,  and  that  all  things  maintain  their  existence 
through  him.  Paul  evidently  believed  just  as  the  Apostle 
John  did  that  Jesus  is  the  eternal  Son  of  God  and  that  “all 
things  were  made  through  him ;  and  without  him  was  not 
anything  made  that  hath  been  made.”  It  is  well  for  us 
to  remember  that  the  New  Testament  writers  who  knew 
Jesus  best  believed  him  to  be  the  eternal  Son  of  God. 

The  city  of  Colossse  was  about  a  hundred  miles  east 
of  Ephesus.  One  of  Paul’s  helpers  Epaphras  had  labored 
in  Colossse  and  at  the  time  Paul  wrote  his  letter  Archip- 
pus  was  in  charge  of  the  work  there.  Philemon,  to  whom 
Paul  wrote  a  letter  at  about  the  same  time  he  wrote  to 
the  Ephesians  and  the  Colossians,  was  well  known  to 
Paul  as  was  also  the  family  of  Philemon.  The  church  of 
Colossse  was  using  the  house  of  Philemon  as  its  meeting 
place  at  the  time  Paul  wrote  his  letter  to  this  friend. 

The  Letter  to  the  Philippians.  Phil.  3:1-16.  Paul  or- 


246  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


ganized  at  Philippi  the  first  Christian  church  oil  the  con¬ 
tinent  of  Europe.  It  is  natural  that  he  should  have  been 
deeply  interested  in  it  and  should  have  written  to  the 
Philippian  Christians  during  his  days  of  imprisonment  in 
Rome.  These  letters  of  Paul  are  interesting,  not  only 
because  of  what  they  contain  but  also  because  of  the 
light  they  shed  on  the  character  of  the  great  apostle 
whose  life  we  are  studying.  The  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians 
shows  us  how  highly  Paul  regarded  the  Church  of  Christ. 
The  Epistle  to  the  Colossians  shows  us  what  Paul 
thought  about  Jesus  and  what  Jesus  meant  in  his  life. 
The  Epistle  to  the  Philippians  shows  us  how  tenderly 
Paul  cherished  his  fellowship  with  Christians  and  how 
readily  he  forgot  injuries  and  insults  and  injustice.  He 
had  been  shamefully  mistreated  in  Philippi.  He  had  been 
cruelly  whipped,  cast  into  prison,  fastened  in  the  stocks.' 
Yet  Paul  had  ceased  to  think  about  these  things.  There 
are  some  people  who,  if  they  had  been  treated  in  any  city 
as  Paul  was  treated  in  Philippi,  would  have  hated  that 
city  ever  after.  It  was  not  so  with  Paul.  He  remembered 
the  little  band  of  converts  who  had  accepted  Jesus  as  the 
Saviour  of  the  world  and  who  had  bidden  him  good-by 
as,  bruised  and  weary,  he  struck  out  upon  the  road  to 
Thessalonica.  He  remembered  the  gifts  which  these 
same  Christians  had  sent  him  and  which  they  had 
insisted  that  he  must  receive  as  a  token  of  their  love. 
Did  Paul  care  because  some  of  these  Christians  were 
Gentile-born?  Did  he  care  because  some  of  them  were 
poor?  Did  he  care  because  some  of  them  were  slaves 
and  not  in  the  social  class  into  which  he  had  been  born? 
Not  a  bit  of  it.  True  Christianity  wipes  out  all  such 
false  and  artificial  barriers  and  creates  one  brotherhood 
in  Christ.  Paul  just  gathered  all  the  Christians  of 
Philippi  into  his  great  loving  fellowship  and  called  them 
his  “beloved  and  longed  for,”  his  “joy  and  crown.” 

The  Letter  to  Philemon.  Philemon  1-25.  One  of  the 
most  interesting  of  Paul’s  epistles  is  the  little  personal 
letter  which  he  wrote  to  his  friend  Philemon  in  Colossse. 
It  is  interesting  because  it  gives  such  a  fine  picture  of 
the  writer  of  the  letter.  While.Paul  was  in  prison,  he  met 
a  runaway  slave  named  Onesimus.  This  slave  had  be- 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  247 


longed  to  Philemon,  but  had  stolen  some  of  his  master’s 
money  and  had  escaped  to  Rome.  Coming  under  the 
influence  of  Paul,  Onesimus  had  been  converted.  He  had 
felt  since  he  had  become  a  Christian  that  he  ought  to  go 
back  to  his  master,  confess  his  guilt,  and  seek  to  make 
amends  for  the  wrong  he  had  done. 

Paul  graciously  offered  to  write  a  letter  to  Philemon, 
asking  him  to  take  the  lad  back  and  to  receive  him,  no 
longer  as  a  slave  but  as  a  Christian  brother.  The  letter 
is  a  splendid  example  of  kindly,  gentlemanly  courtesy. 
Paul  told  his  friend  that  he  would  gladly  keep  Onesimus 
as  his  helper,  but  he  felt  that  he  ought  to  send  him  back 
to  his  master.  He  reminded  Philemon  that  it  might  have 
been  God’s  plan  that  Onesimus  should  be  separated  from 
him  for  a  little  while  in  order  that  he  might  be  received 
back  as  a  brother.  How  kindly  Paul  wrote,  “If  then  thou 
countest  me  a  partner,  receive  him  as  myself !”  As 
for  the  money  which  Onesimus  had  stolen,  Paul  wrote  as 
follows,  “But  if  he  hath  wronged  thee  at  all,  or  oweth  thee 
aught,  put  that  to  mine  account ;  I  Paul  write  it  with 
mine  own  hand,  I  will  repay  it.”  Paul  had  come  to  have 
the  spirit  of  Jesus,  the  spirit  which  caused  Christ  to  give 
his  own  life  as  a  ransom  for  sinners. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  when  Paul  wrote  this 
letter  to  Philemon  in  Colossi,  Epaphras  who  had  labored 
in  Colossse  was  in  prison  with  Paul  at  Rome.  Mark, 
Aristarchus,  Demas,  and  Luke  were  also  with  Paul  at 
this  same  time.  It  may  be  that  they  were  not  all  prisoners 
with  Paul.  Perhaps  they  were  working  in  the  city  of 
Rome  and  in  other  nearby  towns  under  Paul’s  direction. 

“Paul  the  Aged,  and  Now  a  Prisoner  Also  of  Christ 
Jesus.”  Philemon  9.  When  Paul  wrote  to  Philemon, 
he  was  probably  past  sixty  years  of  age.  The  age  of 
sixty  is  not  necessarily  a  time  of  physical  decline.  Many 
people  have  done  great  things  when  they  were  well  past 
this  age.  Paul  had  labored  so  strenuously  and  he  had 
undergone  such  hardships  that  it  is  probable  that  he  was 
prematurely  old.  He  was  evidently  beginning  to  feel  that 
declining  of  physical  strength  which  inevitably  comes 
with  advancing  age.  He  was  growing  old  in  service. 
He  was  becoming  old  and  he  was  also  a  prisoner.  It  is 


248  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


characteristic  of  the  man  that  he  made  no  selfish  com¬ 
plaint.  He  did  not  grumble  at  his  hard  fate,  at  the  perils 
and  trials  which  had  made  him  old  before  his  time,  at  the 
fortune  which  had  caused  him  to  be  a  prisoner  in  his  old 
age.  He  mentioned  these  things  only  that  he  might  the 
better  stir  the  compassion  of  a  master  for  a  runaway 
slave. 

Suggestions  eor  Notebook  Work 

Make  in  the  notebooks  a  list  of  the  letters  of  Paul  stat¬ 
ing  where  and  when  each  was  written,  to  whom  written, 
and  so  forth.  Picture:  The  Appian  Way,  No.  315. 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

LETTERS  WRITTEN  AFTER  THE  FIRST  ROMAN 

IMPRISONMENT 

I  Tim.  6:11-16;  Titus,  ch.  2 

We  have  already  studied  several  of  Paul’s  letters  in  this 
series  of  lessons.  There  remain  three  for  our  considera¬ 
tion.  Two  of  these,  the  First  Epistle  to  Timothy  and 
the  Epistle  to  Titus  were  evidently  written  after  Paul 
had  been  released  from  his  first  Roman  imprisonment 
and  had  resumed  missionary  work.  The  other  one  of  the 
three,  the  Second  Epistle  to  Timothy,  was  written  when 
Paul  had  been  cast  into  prison  at  Rome  for  the  second 
time  and  was  facing  death  at  the  hands  of  the  Romans. 

The  Letter  to  Titus.  Titus,  ch.  2.  We  have  seen  in  a 
preceding  lesson  that  Paul  probably  made  a  journey 
through  the  countries  lying  east  of  Italy  after  his  release 
from  the  first  Roman  imprisonment.  It  may  be  that  he 
visited  the  island  of  Crete  on  this  trip  and  left  Titus  be¬ 
hind  to  organize  the  churches  there  before  coming  on  to 
rejoin  him  in  Rome.  This  seems  to  be  indicated  by 
Paul’s  words  in  his  letter  to  Titus  where  he  wrote,  “For 
this  cause  left  I  thee  in  Crete,  that  thou  shouldest  set  in 
order  the  things  that  were  wanting,  and  appoint  elders  in 
every  city,  as  I  gave  thee  charge.’’ 

The  letter  to  Titus  contains  much  practical  advice  to 
a  young  man  who  had  heavy  responsibilities  resting  upon 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  249 


him.  Paul  told  Titus  what  kind  of  men  to  choose  as  the 
elders  of  the  Cretan  churches.  Most  of  the  Christians  in 
Crete  had  but  recently  accepted  the  religion  of  Jesus. 
They  had  been  pagans  and  it  was  hard  for  them  to  under¬ 
stand  just  what  a  Christian  ought  to  do  and  what  a 
Christian  ought  not  to  do.  It  was  likewise  hard  for  them 
to  break  away  from  the  evil  habits  which  had  grown 
upon  them  from  childhood.  Titus  must  be  able  to  teach 
these  new  converts  what  it  means  to  be  a  Christian.  He 
must  arouse  within  them  a  determination  to  overcome 
their  evil  habits.  Paul  knew  that  much  depended  upon 
the  way  these  converts  lived.  If  they  showed  no  marked 
change  in  their  manner  of  life  and  lived  just  about  as  the 
pagans  lived,  Paul  knew  that  the  cause  of  Christ  would 
suffer.  People  judge  the  religion  of  Jesus  by  the  conduct 
of  those  who  profess  to  be  followers  of  Jesus.  Hence  a 
large  part  of  Paul’s  letter  to  Titus  is  given  to  explanations 
concerning  what  the  Christian  ought  to  be  and  do. 

The  First  Letter  to  Timothy.  I  Tim.  6:11-16.  The 
First  Epistle  to  Timothy  was  written  after  Paul  had  left 
Timothy  in  Ephesus  and  had  himself  departed  into  Mace¬ 
donia.  It  is  thought,  therefore,  to  belong  to  the  time  of 
Paul’s  journey  through  the  eastern  lands  after  the  end  of 
his  first  Roman  imprisonment.  Whether  the  letter  was 
written  in  Macedonia  or  after  Paul  had  returned  to  Rome, 
we  cannot  say. 

Like  the  letter  to  Titus,  this  first  letter  to  Timothy 
contains  Paul’s  advice  to  a  young  man  who  had  grave 
responsibilities  resting  upon  him.  Ephesus  was  a  very 
large  city  and  it  was  of  much  importance  to  have  the 
churches  there  kept  true  to  the  Christian  faith.  So  Paul 
urged  his  young  helper  on  to  vigorous  efforts.  He  ex¬ 
plained  what  it  means  to  be  a  Christian.  He  told  Tim¬ 
othy  what  kind  of  men  ought  to  be  chosen  as  elders. 

Dangerous  theories  were  beginning  to  appear  among 
the  Christians  of  Ephesus.  Certain  teachers  had  arisen 
who  professed  to  have  new  knowledge  concerning  reli¬ 
gious  matters.  They  said  that  what  Paul  had  taught 
about  Jesus  was  all  right,  but  they  declared  that  Paul 
had  not  known  all  that  they  knew.  False  teachings  have 
been  a  great  danger  to  the  Christian  Church  through  all 


250  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


its  history  and  they  were  especially  dangerous  at  the  time 
when  Paul  wrote  to  Timothy.  The  Church  was  weak  in 
numbers  and  if  it  became  divided  over  matters  of  belief 
or  lost  its  power  because  its  members  were  coming  to 
believe  false  teachings  it  must  fail.  Paul  knew  this  and 
that  is  why  he  wrote  to  his  young  helper  saying,  “O 
Timothy,  guard  that  which  is  committed  unto  thee,  turn¬ 
ing  away  from  the  profane  babblings  and  oppositions  of 
the  knowledge  which  is  falsely  so  called ;  which  some 
professing  have  erred  concerning  the  faith.” 

Ephesus  was  a  great  commercial  city  and  there  were 
opportunities  to  make  a  fortune  if  a  person  were  willing 
to  give  all  his  time  to  money-getting  and  not  to  be  too 
scrupulous  as  to  the  methods  he  used  to  gain  wealth. 
Paul  was  fearful  lest  the  desire  to  get  rich  quickly  might 
lead  some  Christians  astray.  So  he  reminded  Timothy 
that  riches  are  a  fleeting  possession.  We  bring  nothing 
into  the  world  with  us  and  we  take  nothing  out  of  the 
world  when  we  die.  He  told  Timothy  that  the  love  of 
money  is  a  root  of  all  kinds  of  evil,  and  that  some  in 
reaching  after  wealth  had  gone  far  astray  and  had  found 
in  the  end  that  the  result  of  their  striving  was  only  pain 
and  sorrow. 

Paul  wished  Timothy  to  seek  the  things  which  are 
above  the  price  of  money,  which  are  of  a  value  beyond 
the  power  of  money  to  measure.  Mark  his  splendid  ad¬ 
monition  to  the  young  man  whom  he  called  his  “true 
child  in  faith” :  “But  thou,  O  man  of  God,  flee  these 
things;  and  follow  after  righteousness,  godliness,  faith, 
love,  patience,  meekness.  Fight  the  good  fight  of  the 
faith,  lay  hold  on  the  life  eternal,  whereunto  thou  wast 
called,  and  didst  confess  the  good  confession  in  the  sight 
of  many  witnesses.” 

The  Second  Letter  to  Timothy.  II  Tim.  2:1-5.  The 
Second  Epistle  to  Timothy  is  Paul’s  farewell  written  mes¬ 
sage  to  the  one  whom  he  called  his  “beloved  child.” 
It  gives  all  that  we  know  certainly  about  the  last  days 
of  the  great  apostle.  It  was  written  from  a  prison  in 
Rome  and  sent  hastily  to  Timothy.  It  urged  Timothy  to 
hasten  to  Rome.  It  is  evident  that  Paul  knew  that  he 
was  in  extreme  peril  and  wished  to  see  Timothy  face  to 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  251 


face  before  he  laid  down  his  life  for  the  cause  he  had 
served  so  long. 

The  Importance  of  Paul’s  Writings.  It  is  hard  for  us 
to  realize  what  it  meant  for  the  Church  and  for  the  world 
when  Paul  wrote  the  letters  which  are  now  contained 
within  the  New  Testament.  The  wonderful  mind  of  Paul 
enabled  him  to  understand  better  than  any  other  man  of 
his  time  the  meaning  of  the  life  and  teachings  of  Jesus. 
Because  he  understood  the  mind  of  Christ,  he  was  able 
to  lay  the  foundations  of  belief  on  which  the  Christian 
Church  has  rested  ever  since.  Because  he  understood 
the  mind  of  Christ,  he  was  able  to  combat  the  errors  of 
doctrine  which  menaced  the  early  Church.  Because  he 
understood  the  mind  of  Christ,  he  was  able  to  combat 
the  narrow-minded  purposes  of  some  who  called  them¬ 
selves  Christians  and  to  guide  the  Church  out  into  a 
broad  policy  of  fellowship  which  welcomes  all  mankind 
who  have  faith  in  Jesus  as  God’s  Son.  In  his  letters 
Paul’s  wisdom  has  been  preserved  for  the  guidance  of  the 
Church  and  for  the  comfort  and  help  of  the  individual 
Christians  of  all  centuries. 

The:  Lksson  Praykr 

We  thank  thee,  our  Father,  for  the  heroic  men  and 
women  of  the  Church  who  have  been  willing  to  risk  the 
loss  of  all  things  for  the  sake  of  the  truth.  We  know  that 
many  of  the  blessings  we  enjoy  were  secured  through 
their  devotion  to  thee.  Grant  that  we  may  appreciate 
our  privileges  as  citizens  of  this  free  country  where  the 
Bible  is  known  and  read.  Help  us  to  develop  that  spirit 
of  heroic  devotion  to  thee  which  was  shown  by  so  many 
of  the  great  men  and  women  of  the  Bible.  Show  us  that 
by  suffering  the  loss  of  little  pleasures  for  the  present 
we  may  be  fitted  to  accomplish  in  after  life  things  which 
are  worth  while.  Help  us  to  plan  for  the  future  and  not 
for  present  pleasures  only.  We  ask  in  Jesus’  name. 
Amen. 

Suppi^MENTAi*  Missionary  Story 

“An  American  Nurse  in  the  Great  War.’’  “The  Book 
of  Missionary  Heroes,”  page  249. 


252  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


EXPRESSION AL  SESSION 

HUMAN  PROGRESS  DEPENDENT  ON 
GREAT-SOULED  LEADERS 

Isa.  6:1-8 

There  are  times  in  history  when  humanity  seems  to 
have  been  passing  through  a  crisis  and  the  fate  of  civili¬ 
zation  seems  to  have  been  in  danger.  At  such  times,  in 
the  wisdom  of  God,  great-souled  leaders  have  arisen  to 
save  the  race  from  slipping  back  and  losing  all  that  had 
been  gained  by  centuries  of  upward  toil.  Our  Scripture 
lesson  tells  of  the  call  of  Isaiah,  a  prophet  on  whom  God 
laid  the  task  of  saving  the  Old  Testament  religion  from 
utter  failure  on  account  of  the  selfishness  and  wickedness 
of  the  people  to  whom  he  had  intrusted  the  leadership 
in  religion. 

Men  who  have  stood  in  the  gap  when  the  plans  of  God 
were  menaced  have  usually  been  men  like  Isaiah  who  were 
conscious  of  God’s  call  and  God’s  presence  by  their  side 
in  the  hour  of  peril.  They  have  been  men  whom  God 
has  prepared  for  their  great  task.  Moses  was  such  a 
man ;  the  Hebrew  prophets  were  such  men.  Paul  was 
one  of  the  great  personalities  who  have  stood  at  the  crises 
in  human  affairs  and  turned  the  tide  toward  God  and 
righteousness.  He  appeared  at  a  time  when  the  Church 
of  Christ  was  in  danger,  when  it  seemed  about  to  fail 
through  unwise  leadership  and  narrow  policies  and 
faulty  interpretations.  Paul,  under  God’s  providence, 
had  been  trained  to  think  clearly,  to  act  vigorously,  to 
labor  untiringly.  He  was  the  man  needed  for  the  times. 
His  great  personality  saved  the  day,  and  succeeding  cen¬ 
turies  have  only  served  to  make  his  greatness  of  char¬ 
acter  more  apparent. 

God  will  need  great-souled  men  and  women  in  the 
future.  There  are  more  stupendous  problems  to  be 
solved  than  have  ever  yet  been  solved.  The  banishing 
of  war  and  the  bringing  in  of  universal  peace  are  to  be 
accomplished.  The  problems  between  labor  and  capital 
are  to  be  solved  in  harmony  with  principles  of  justice 
and  righteousness.  Jesus  is  to  be  made  King  over  all 
the  world  and  over  all  of  life.  As  humanity  approaches 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  253 


these  goals,  the  conflict  between  light  and  darkness  will 
become  more  and  more  intense.  Crisis  after  crisis  will 
arise.  Where  are  the  great-souled  men  and  women  who 
will  step  forward  into  places  of  leadership  and  by  their 
zeal,  perseverance,  and  wisdom  help  to  save  the  cause 
of  God  in  these  coming  times  of  peril?  They  are  among 
the  boys  and  girls  of  to-day  or  among  the  generations 
yet  unl3orn.  They  must  make  preparation  for  the  great 
task  which  will  in  due  time  fall  upon  their  shoulders. 
Some  among  them  must  become  the  successors  to  men 
like  Paul  and  Luther  and  William  Carey. 

Some:  Truths  from  the  Lessons  We  Have 

Been  Studying 

Diligence  in  his  studies  at  school,  a  deep  experience  of 
religion,  and  a  faithful  and  diligent  service  helped  to 
make  Paul  one  of  the  great  men  of  history. 

If  Paul  had  not  been  a  faithful  student  as  a  boy,  he 
could  not  have  developed  that  skill  as  a  writer  which 
enabled  him  to  pen  the  letters  which  became  a  part  of 
the  New  Testament. 

Paul’s  democratic  spirit  helped  him  to  be  a  great 
leader.  He  was  willing  to  work  with  Jews  like  Bar¬ 
nabas,  with  people  who  were  half  Jew,  half  Greek,  like 
Timothy,  with  people  who  were  Gentiles  like  Titus,  with 
runaway  slaves  like  Onesimus. 

Review  Questions 

1.  Name  four  letters  which  Paul  wrote  during  his 
first  imprisonment  in  Rome. 

2.  Name  three  letters  which  he  wrote  after  his  release 
from  his  first  imprisonment. 

3.  Where  is  Ephesus,  and  why  did  Paul  write  a  letter 
to  the  Christians  in  that  city? 

4.  Tell  something  about  Paul’s  letter  to  the  Colos- 
sians. 

5.  Where  is  Philippi,  and  what  experiences  had  Paul 
passed  through  in  that  city? 

6.  What  does  Paul’s  letter  to  Philemon  show  us 
about  the  character  of  the  writer? 


254  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


7.  Who  was  Titus,  and  what  task  had  Paul  given 
him  to  do? 

8.  Tell  what  you  can  about  Timothy. 

9.  Why  are  Paul’s  letters  important  to-day? 

10.  How  did  Paul  help  to  make  the  Christian  Church 
strong  and  successful? 

Bible:  Verses 

Ps.  15:1-3;  37:37;  49:14;  51:6;  84:11;  140:13;  Prov. 
2:21;  11 :14,  20;  12:19;  Mai.  2:6;  II  Tim.  2:15. 

Study  Topics 

1.  Nehemiah,  a  Strong  and  Courageous  Leader.  Neh., 
ch.  4. 

2.  God’s  Vain  Search  for  a  Man.  Ter.  5:1;  Ezek. 
22 :30. 

3.  Qualities  of  a  Great  Leader. 

4.  The  Civil  War  as  a  Crisis  in  American  History  and 
the  Man  Whom  God  Prepared  for  the  Time.  (For  the 
pastor  or  Sunday-school  superintendent.) 

5.  How  Bible  Study  Helped  Paul  to  Live  a  Great  and 
Useful  Life. 

6.  Why  Boys  and  Girls  Who  Are  Idle  and  Careless 
in  School  Duties  Are  Not  Apt  to  Become  Great  Leaders. 

7.  How  a  Boy  or  Girl  Who  Attends  Church  School 
Is  Making  Preparation  for  a  Useful  Life. 

8.  A  Lesson  from  Paul’s  Letter  to  the  Ephesians. 
(Have  pupil  choose  some  verse  and  tell  about  its 
meaning.) 

9.  A  Lesson  from  Paul’s  Letter  to  the  Philippians. 

10.  A  Lesson  from  Paul’s  Letter  to  Philemon. 

The  Lesson  Truth  Expressed  in  a  Law 

The  Law  of  Righteous  Personality.  There  is  nothing 
in  life  more  powerful  and  valuable  than  character. 
Therefore : 

1.  We  will  study  the  lives  of  great  and  good  men  and 
women  that  we  may  come  to  know  what  truly  great 
character  is  like. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  255 


2.  We  will  study  the  Bible  that  we  may  learn  what 
it  teaches  regarding  true  greatness  of  character. 

3.  We  will  take  the  character  of  Jesus  as  our  perfect 
model  of  righteousness  and  we  will  try  to  become  like 
him. 


Projects  eor  Putting  the  Lesson  Truths 

Into  Practice 

Paul  owed  much  of  his  power  to  a  profound  knowledge 
of  the  Bible  and  to  a  deep  religious  experience.  Both 
of  these  qualifications  for  leadership  are  within  reach  of 
most  people  if  they  set  out  to  secure  them  when  they  are 
young.  It  might  be  a  good  plan  to  have  pupils  who  wish 
to  do  so  pledge  themselves  to  daily  Bible  reading  and 
to  daily  prayer.  Perhaps  a  group  called  “Comrades  of  the 
Quiet  Hour”  might  be  formed  for  the  promotion  of  daily 
Bible  study  and  daily  devotions. 


CHAPTER  XIX 


THE  HEROIC  END  OF  A  GREAT  AND  USEFUL 

LIFE 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

IN  A  ROMAN  PRISON  FOR  THE  LAST  TIME 
II  Tim.  1:15-18;  4:6-18 

In  a  previous  lesson  we  have  seen  that  Paul  was  treated 
kindly  by  the  Romans  during  his  first  imprisonment  in 
the  capital.  He  was  allowed  to  meet  his  friends  freely 
in  his  own  hired  house  and  to  teach  the  Christian  religion 
to  all  who  came  to  hear  him.  The  Second  Epistle  to 
Timothy  was  evidently  written  under  conditions  very  dif¬ 
ferent  from  those  of  Paul’s  first  imprisonment.  In  this 
lesson  we  are  to  glean  from  Paul’s  second  letter  to  Tim¬ 
othy  what  information  we  can  concerning  the  second  im¬ 
prisonment  of  Paul  in  Rome. 

Changed  Attitude  of  the  Roman  Authorities.  In  Paul’s 
trials  before  the  Roman  governors  in  Palestine,  his  ac¬ 
cusers  had  been  Jews.  The  Romans  had  acted  as  Paul’s 
protectors  against  his  fanatical  fellow  countrymen  and 
had  quickly  ascertained  that  Paul  was  guilty  of  no  such 
crimes  as  his  enemies  charged  against  him.  We  know 
little  about  the  first  trial  in  Rome,  but  it  is  likely  that  it 
was  very  similar  to  the  trials  which  had  been  held  in 
Caesarea,  except  that  it  resulted  in  a  clear  and  final  ver¬ 
dict  of  Paul’s  innocence  and  his  consequent  liberation. 

In  the  second  trial  at  Rome  conditions  were  quite  dif¬ 
ferent.  The  power  of  the  Roman  Government  was  evi¬ 
dently  no  longer  available  as  a  defender  of  the  apostle, 
but  had  become  a  deadly  menace  to  him.  New  charges 
had  probably  been  lodged  against  Paul  and  they  were 
charges  of  treason  against  Rome  rather  than  charges  of 
heresy  toward  the  Jewish  religion.  Paul  names  a  certain 
“Alexander  the  coppersmith”  as  one  of  his  chief  accusers. 
We  know  nothing  about  this  man,  except  that  he  was 
probably  not  a  Jew,  if  we  may  judge  from  his  name. 

256 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  257 


It  was  probably  this  changed  attitude  of  the  Romans 
that  made  Paul  certain  that  his  “time  of  .  .  .  departure” 
was  at  hand.  He  had  been  saved  more  than  once  from 
the  conspiracies  of  his  Jewish  enemies  by  the  interven¬ 
tion  of  the  Romans,  but  now  that  defense  was  taken  away 
and  he  knew  that  the  end  of  his  life  was  near. 

A  Favorable  Beginning  of  the  Trial.  II  Tim.  4:16-18. 
Paul  was  not  afraid  to  die  for  his  faith,  but  like  a  sensible 
man  he  battled  heroically  for  his  life.  We  have  just  a 
little  glimpse  of  the  opening  of  that  legal  contest  which 
ended  in  the  conviction  and  death  of  the  great  apostle. 
The  opening  conflict  was  not  altogether  unfavorable  to 
Paul.  We  may  be  sure  that  Paul  stood  before  Nero  with 
all  the  heroic  strength  that  had  characterized  him  in  the 
previous  trials.  The  perils  about  him  were  so  great  that 
he  had  been  deserted  by  nearly  all  of  his  friends,  but  even 
so  his  power  of  personality  seems  to  have  come  near  to 
winning  an  acquittal.  Perhaps  cruel  and  crafty  Nero 
trembled  before  the  righteousness  of  Paul  even  as  Felix 
and  Agrippa  had  trembled  at  previous  trials  of  the 
apostle.  Paul  says  that  he  “was  delivered  out  of  the 
mouth  of  the  lion.”  We  do  not  know  why  Paul’s  trial 
took  an  unfavorable  turn  which  ended  in  his  conviction. 
We  know,  however,  that  back  of  Nero  was  a  band  of  men 
and  women  more  wicked  even  than  Nero  himself.  It  is 
probable  that  these  evil  powers  behind  the  throne  were 
determined  that  Paul  should  die  and  that  they  found 
means  to  secure  the  desired  end. 

In  Poverty  and  Distress.  II  Tim.  4:9-15.  In  this  sec¬ 
ond  imprisonment  Paul  was  no  longer  living  in  his  own 
hired  house.  He  was  evidently  in  poverty  and  want. 
He  was  in  a  cold  and  cheerless  prison,  where  he  felt  the 
need  of  warmer  clothing  than  he  had  been  accustomed  to 
wear,  so  he  sent  for  his  cloak  which  he  had  left  some 
months  before  in  Troas,  a  thousand  miles  away,  across 
the  sea. 

The  aged  prisoner  was  lonely  without  his  books  for  he 
was  a  born  student.  So  he  urged  Timothy  to  bring  not 
only  the  cloak  which  he  had  left  in  Troas,  but  also  the 
books  and  “especially  the  parchments.”  Perhaps  these 
parchments  were  unfinished  manuscripts  on  which  he  had 


258  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


been  working  that  he  might  send  cheer  and  council 
thereby  to  the  many  churches  which  he  had  established 
throughout  the  Roman  Empire. 

Forsaken  by  His  Friends.  II  Tim.  1 :1 5-18 ;  4:10.  The 
deadly  perils  about  Paul  caused  many  of  his  former  sup¬ 
porters  to  find  excuses  for  withdrawing  from  Rome. 
Some  of  them  were  evidently  not  made  of  the  materials 
out  of  which  martyrs  are  made.  In  the  hour  of  supreme 
testing  they  were  found  wanting  in  heroic  faith  and 
unfaltering  devotion.  There  was  one,  however,  we  are 
glad  to  note,  who  was  not  found  wanting.  Luke  had 
been  Paul’s  companion  and  helper  through  many  tem¬ 
pestuous  years  and  he  would  not  forsake  his  friend  in 
the  hour  of  deadly  peril.  Paul  could  say,  “Only  Luke  is 
with  me.’’  Paul  knew  of  others  who,  like  Luke,  would 
stand  by  him  with  unshaken  steadfastness.  He  did  not 
hesitate  to  ask  Timothy  to  come  and  seems  never  to  have 
thought  of  the  possibility  that  Timothy  might  hesitate 
to  come  to  Rome.  There  was  another  young  man  whom 
Paul  believed  would  come,  so  he  said  to  Timothy,  “Take 
Mark,  and  bring  him  with  thee.’’  It  is  good  to  know  that 
these  three  heroic  friends  of  Paul  stood  by  him  to  the 
last  and  counted  not  the  cost.  We  may  believe  that 
many  other  Christians  rallied  to  Paul’s  side  before  the 
end  came,  for  he  names  four  of  these  fellow  Christians 
by  name,  and  states  that  these  four  with  other  brethren 
united  in  sending  greeting  to  Timothy. 

Certainty  of  the  Approaching  End.  II  Tim.  4:6-8. 
When  Paul  wrote  this  second  letter  to  Timothy,  he  knew 
that  this  time  there  was  no  escape  for  him.  Calmly  he 
wrote  to  his  friend,  “The  time  of  my  departure  is  come.’’ 
Death  had  no  terrors  for  the  great-souled  missionary  who 
had  faced  a  thousand  perils  unafraid.  There  was  in  the 
soul  of  Paul  an  inward  peace  which  nothing  could  over¬ 
throw.  He  had  “fought  the  good  fight.”  He  had  finished 
the  task  which  God  had  revealed  to  him  on  the  road  to 
Damascus.  He  had  kept  his  mind  and  soul  true  to  the 
faith  which  accepts  Jesus  as  the  Son  of  God  and  the 
Saviour  of  the  world.  Death  could  have  no  terrors  for 
a  soul  so  signally  victorious  as  that  of  Paul. 

The  heroic  courage  of  Paul  in  his  last  hours  is  in  strik- 


PAUL,  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  259 


mg  contrast  to  the  terror  and  horror  of  Nero  under  sim¬ 
ilar  circumstances.  It  was  not  many  months  after  Nero 
had  sent  Paul  to  execution  that  the  tyrant  himself  was 
brought  face  to  face  with  death.  History  records  that 
when  Nero  had  been  driven  from  his  throne  and  was 
about  to  die,  he  was  overwhelmed  with  dread.  He  had 
fought  no  good  fight  during  his  lifetime.  He  had  not 
kept  faith  with  men,  nor  with  God.  He  had  finished  no 
good  work.  For  him  death  was  the  king  of  terrors. 

“Already  Being  Offered.”  The  prisons  of  that  day  were 
dreadful  places,  dungeons  of  torture  where  the  hapless 
inmates  sometimes  lingered  long  in  a  living  death.  The 
horrors  of  the  Mamertine  Prison  at  Rome  have  cast  a 
shadow  down  through  centuries  of  history.  Paul  may 
have  passed  his  last  days  in  this  same  Mamertine  Prison 
or  one  equally  terrible.  He  was  now  an  old  man.  Some 
years  before  he  had  spoken  of  himself  as  being  “such  a 
one  as  Paul  the  aged.”  Hardships  and  scourgings  and 
prolonged  labors  had  broken  him  and  now  in  his  old  age 
he  had  come  to  unspeakable  sufferings.  His  life  was  be¬ 
ing  wrung  out  of  his  broken  body.  The  sacrifice  had 
begun.  He  could  say  truthfully,  “I  am  already  being 
offered.” 

In  this  lesson  we  have  been  looking  chiefly  at  the  out¬ 
ward  circumstances  of  Paul  during  his  last  days.  But 
what  about  the  mind  and  soul  of  the  great  apostle?  Of 
what  was  he  thinking  as  he  neared  the  end?  What  emo¬ 
tions  swept  over  his  spirit?  What  things  in  human  life 
seemed  to  him  to  be  of  highest  value  as  he  stood  in  the 
presence  of  eternity?  We  shall  inquire  into  these  matters 
a  little  more  fully  in  the  next  lesson. 

Suggestions  for  Notebook  Work 

Add  the  following  items  to  the  Chronological  Table  of 
Paul’s  Life : 

Imprisonment  in  Caesarea,  A.  D.  56-58. 

Journey  to  Rome,  Autumn  of  A.  D.  58  and  Early 
Spring  of  59. 

First  Imprisonment  in  Rome,  A.  D.  59-61. 

Probable  Journey  to  Spain,  A.  D.  62-64. 


260  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Probable  Journey  Eastward  from  Rome,  A.  D.  65-66. 
Second  Imprisonment  and  Death,  A.  D.  67. 

Picture:  Damascus,  Scene  of  Paul’s  Conversion,  No. 

310. 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

MORE  THAN  A  CONQUEROR 
II  Tim.  1:1-14;  3:1-17;  4:1-5 

In  his  letter  to  the  Roman  Christians  Paul  says :  “Who 
shall  separate  us  from  the  love  of  Christ?  shall  tribulation, 
or  anguish,  or  persecution,  or  famine,  or  nakedness,  or 
peril,  or  sword?  Even  as  it  is  written,  for  thy  sake  we 
are  killed  all  the  day  long;  we  were  accounted  as  sheep 
for  the  slaughter.  Nay,  in  all  these  things  we  are  more 
than  conquerors  through  him  that  loved  us.  For  I  am 
persuaded,  that  neither  death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor 
principalities,  nor  things  present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor 
powers,  nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature, 
shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God,  which 
is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord.”  Rom.  8:35-39.  The  truth 
of  this  sublime  statement  is  fully  established  by  what  we 
know  of  Paul’s  last  days  in  prison.  In  this  lesson  we  are 
to  consider  how  neither  tribulation,  nor  anguish,  nor  per¬ 
secution,  nor  nakedness,  nor  peril,  nor  sword  could  de¬ 
prive  Paul  of  the  joy  and  peace  which  were  his  because 
he  had  come  to  know  God  as  he  is  revealed  in  Jesus. 

Tenderly  Affectionate.  II  Tim.  1:1,  2;  4:19-22.  Paul 
was  not  thinking  much  about  his  own  troubles  and  perils 
as  he  wrote  this  last  letter  to  Timothy.  He  speaks  of 
other  people  ten  times  as  much  as  he  speaks  about  him¬ 
self  in  the  letter.  His  great  fatherly  heart  goes  out  to 
Timothy  whom  he  calls  his  “beloved  child.”  With  ten¬ 
derly  affectionate  admonitions  he  seeks  to  strengthen  his 
young  helper  so  that,  whatever  trials  may  come,  he  may 
not  fail.  “Thou  therefore,  my  child,  be  strengthened  in 
the  grace  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  .  .  .  Remember  Jesus 
Christ  .  .  .  Give  diligence  to  present  thyself  approved 
unto  God,  a  workman  that  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed” : 
these  are  some  of  Paul’s  farewell  admonitions  to  the 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  261 


young  man  whom  he  loved  as  his  own  son.  Paul  also 
remembers  Onesiphorus  who  had  often  received  him  into 
his  own  house  and  who  had  sought  him  out  in  Rome 
when  certain  other  professed  followers  of  Christ  were 
keeping  away  from  Paul  because  he  was  a  prisoner  bound 
with  a  chain  to  a  Roman  soldier.  Paul  sends  farewell 
greetings  to  this  faithful  friend  who  was  with  Timothy 
in  Ephesus. 

Paul  likewise  remembers  Aquila  and  Priscilla  with 
whom  he  had  labored  as  a  tentmaker  and  with  whom  he 
had  struggled  against  obstacles  and  opposition  to  lay  the 
foundations  of  the  Christian  Church  in  Ephesus.  Paul 
had  friends  scattered  all  over  the  Roman  Empire,  and  the 
thought  of  them  made  him  glad  in  spite  of  the  dreadful 
conditions  about  him  on  every  side.  These  friends  were 
his  hope  and  joy  and  crown  of  rejoicing. 

Continuing  Steadfastly  in  Prayer.  II  Tim.  1  :3,  4. 
Prayer  had  long  held  a  large  place  in  Paul’s  life,  and  now 
that  he  was  shut  up  in  prison  he  continued  to  find  daily 
help  in  his  communion  with  God.  Even  in  prison,  Paul 
found  much  for  which  to  be  thankful  and  his  prayers  of 
thanksgiving  ascended  to  God  from  his  dungeon  cell.  He 
was  praying  for  other  people  rather  than  for  himself.  He 
told  Timothy  that  he  was  praying  for  him  night  and  day. 
He  was  praying  for  the  churches  he  had  established. 
These  churches  contained  many  who  had  lived  long  in 
paganism  and  were  fighting  valiantly  to  live  lives  worthy 
of  their  Master.  They  contained  many  who  were  under¬ 
going  persecutions  for  their  faith.  Paul  could  not  go  to 
these  beloved  brethren,  but  his  heart  yearned  for  them. 
He  could  not  reach  many  of  them  by  messenger  or  by 
letter,  but  he  could  bear  them  all  before  God’s  throne  in 
prayer.  • 

Thinking  of  the  Great  Cause.  II  Tim.  4:1-5.  To 
preach  the  gospel  of  Christ  had  become  the  ruling  pas¬ 
sion  of  Paul’s  life.  In  his  devotion  to  his  great  life  task 
he  had  lost  sight  of  self.  That  the  Gentiles  should  know 
about  Jesus  and  the  resurrection  was  a  cause  so  precious 
to  him  that  he  counted  his  own  life  as  of  small  value  in 
comparison  with  it.  This  is  why  he  worried  so  little 
about  the  perils  which  were  all  about  him  and  thought  so 


262  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


much  about  the  success  of  the  movement  which  he  had 
helped  to  launch.  This  is  why  we  find  him  saying  so 
earnestly  to  Timothy,  “I  charge  thee  in  the  sight  of  God, 
and  of  Christ  Jesus,  who  shall  judge  the  living  and  the 
dead,  and  by  his  appearing  and  his  kingdom :  preach  the 
word;  be  urgent  in  season,  out  of  season;  reprove,  re¬ 
buke,  exhort,  with  all  longsufifering  and  teaching.” 

This  concern  of  Paul  for  the  Christian  cause  made  him 
anxious  to  leave  behind  him  Christian  churches  which 
were  united,  devoted  to  the  truth,  and  faithful  to  Christ 
even  under  bitter  persecutions.  Hence,  a  considerable 
part  of  this  last  letter  of  the  great  apostle  has  to  do  with 
the  relations  of  Christians  to  one  another  within  the 
Church.  He  tries  to  reach  his  fellow  Christians  with  a 
farewell  message  through  Timothy.  He  gives  Timothy 
admonitions  which  are  to  be  passed  on  to  the  members  of 
the  Church  everywhere.  “Of  these  things  put  them  in 
remembrance,”  he  says,  “that  they  strive  not  about  words, 
to  no  profit,  to  the  subverting  of  them  that  hear.” 

Victorious  Faith.  II  Tim.  1:12;  4:6-8,  18.  This  last 
letter  of  Paul  is  full  of  evidences  of  a  faith  which  rose 
victorious  over  the  dark  circumstances  which  encom¬ 
passed  the  apostle.  He  was  about  to  suffer  death  as  a 
malefactor,  yet  his  faith  in  Jesus  enabled  him  to  say, 
“I  am  not  ashamed;  for  I  know  him  whom  I  have  be¬ 
lieved,  and  I  am  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to  guard  that 
which  I  have  committed  unto  him  against  that  day.” 
Under  the  appalling  sufferings  of  the  prison  he  felt  that 
his  life  was  already  being  poured  out,  just  as  the  Jewish 
priests  were  accustomed  slowly  to  pour  out  the  drink 
offering  upon  the  altar  of  sacrifice,  yet  his  faith  in  Jesus 
enabled  him  to  face  the  situation  with  a  shout  of  triumph : 
“I  am  already  being  offered,  and  the  time  of  my  departure 
is  come.  I  have  fought  the  good  fight,  I  have  finished  the 
course,  I  have  kept  the  faith :  henceforth  there  is  laid  up 
for  me  the  crown  of  righteousness,  which  the  Lord,  the 
righteous  judge,  shall  give  to  me  at  that  day;  and  not  to 
me  only,  but  also  to  all  them  that  have  loved  his  appear¬ 
ing.”  Nero,  the  unrighteous  judge,  had  power  to  con¬ 
demn  unjustly,  but  his  power  was  for  only  a  little  time. 
Paul  could  see  beyond  to  another  court  where  a  righteous 


PAUL,  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


263 


Judge  should  place  upon  his  brow  a  crown  of  victory  and 
receive  him  into  eternal  fellowship.  “The  Lord  will  de¬ 
liver  me  from  every  evil  work,  and  will  save  me  unto  his 
heavenly  kingdom :  to  whom  be  the  glory  for  ever  and 
ever.  Amen.”  Thus  with  a  shout  of  triumphant  faith 
the  apostle  went  toward  death,  unafraid  to  endure  the 
worst  that  his  enemies  could  do  unto  him. 

The  Ostian  Way  and  the  Martyr’s  Crown.  There  was 
a  great  stone  highway  running  from  Rome  down  to  its 
seaport  on  the  Mediterranean.  This  road  was  called  the 
Ostian  Way.  Tradition  says  that  after  Paul  had  been 
condemned  to  death  by  Nero,  he  was  taken  out  upon  this 
highway  for  execution.  As  a  Roman  citizen,  Paul  could 
not  be  legally  put  to  death  in  any  other  way  than  by 
beheading,  so  this  was  the  form  of  execution  specified  in 
the  condemnation  of  the  apostle.  And  so  it  came  to  pass 
that  Paul,  like  his  Master,  suffered  death  beside  a  public 
roadway  where  many  were  passing  to  and  fro. 

“These  that  are  arrayed  in  the  white  robes,  who  are 
they,  and  whence  came  they?  .  .  .  These  are  they  that 
come  out  of  the  great  tribulation,  and  they  washed  their 
robes,  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb. 
Therefore  are  they  before  the  throne  of  God ;  and  they 
serve  him  day  and  night  in  his  temple :  and  he  that  sitteth 
on  the  throne  shall  spread  his  tabernacle  over  them.  They 
shall  hunger  no  more,  neither  thirst  any  more ;  neither 
shall  the  sun  strike  upon  them,  nor  any  heat :  for  the  Lamb 
that  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  shall  be  their  shepherd, 
and  shall  guide  them  unto  fountains  of  waters  of  life : 
and  God  shall  wipe  away  every  tear  from  their  eyes.” 

The:  Lesson  Prayer 

Our  Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  thee  for  our  church 
school,  and  for  the  opportunity  to  learn  about  great  men 
and  women  who  have  loved  thee  and  obeyed  thee  in  the 
centuries  that  are  past.  We  thank  thee  for  the  Church 
which  they  helped  to  establish  by  their  labors  and  pray¬ 
ers.  Teach  us  to  appreciate  the  blessings  which  are  so 
abundantly  bestowed  upon  our  lives.  Help  us  to  be 
morally  earnest,  mentally  alert,  and  spiritually  clean,  so 
that  we  may  do  the  tasks  which  may  come  to  us  in  our 


264  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


lifetime.  Help  us  to  do  something  to  make  the  world 
better  for  our  having  lived  in  it.  Show  us  how  to  be 
unselfish  and  generous  and  just.  Show  us  how  to  use 
the  truths  which  we  have  learned  in  our  study  of  the  life 
of  Paul.  We  ask  these  things  in  the  name  of  Jesus  thy 
Son.  Amen. 

Supplemental  Missionary  Story 

“The  Arrows  of  Santa  Cruz.”  “The  Book  of  Mission¬ 
ary  Heroes,”  page  103. 


EXPRESSION AL  SESSION 

TREASURES  MORE  PRECIOUS  THAN  LIFE 

Job  2:1-6 

“Skin  for  skin,  yea,  all  that  a  man  hath  will  he  give 
for  his  life.”  This  sneering  remark  of  Satan  is  recorded 
in  the  interesting  introduction  to  the  Old  Testament  poem 
which  we  call  The  Book  of  Job.  Satan  declared  that 
when  hard  pressed  men  always  followed  a  selfish  “safety- 
first”  policy ;  that  there  was  nothing  which  a  man  would 
not  give  up  to  save  his  life.  What  Satan  said  is,  unfor¬ 
tunately,  true  of  some  people,  but  when  the  statement  is 
made  that  every  person  lives  in  obedience  to  this  law  of 
self-preservation,  the  statement  becomes  an  enormous 
slander  on  the  human  race.  Every  truly  noble  soul  has 
treasures  more  precious  than  life.  To  find  out  what  some 
of  these  treasures  are,  and  how  this  higher  principle  con¬ 
trols  the  souls  of  men  and  women  of  noble  personality, 
is  the  task  before  us  in  this  session  of  the  church  school. 

Some  Truths  erom  the  Lessons  We  Have 

Been  Studying 

Satan’s  words  were  true  of  Nero,  but  not  of  Paul.  Nero 
would  have  given  anything  he  possessed  or  have  done 
any  deed  if  he  could  have  saved  his  own  life  when  his 
enemies  came  upon  him.  There  were  many  things  which 
Paul  refused  to  give  up  even  though  his  life  must  pay 
the  penalty  of  a  refusal. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  265 


Paul  could  have  saved  his  life  by  giving  up  his  reli¬ 
gion.  If  he  had  renounced  Christ,  the  Pharisees  would 
have  received  him  back  with  open  arms  and  his  life 
would  have  been  saved  from  dangers  and  persecutions. 

Paul  could  have  saved  his  life  by  giving  up  his  task. 
He  might  have  retired  to  some  quiet  place  and  lived  out 
his  life  in  peace,  but  Jesus  had  appointed  him  a  mis¬ 
sionary  to  the  Gentiles.  It  was  a  choice  between  life  and 
duty,  and  he  chose  the  pathway  of  duty. 

Paul  could  have  saved  his  life  by  compromising  with 
evil.  There  were  a  good  many  halfway  Christians  who 
escaped  persecution  and  death.  It  was  Paul’s  whole- 
souled  devotion  to  Jesus  that  cost  him  his  life.  It  was  a 
choice  between  a  half-hearted  devotion  to  Jesus  and  a 
long  life,  and  whole-souled  devotion  to  Jesus  with  perse¬ 
cutions  and  an  untimely  death.  Paul  chose  the  latter. 

Timothy,  Mark,  and  Luke  were  willing  to  risk  their 
lives  in  order  that  they  might  be  with  Paul  during  his  last 
days.  Satan’s  sneer  was  not  true  of  them.  They  would 
not  give  up  their  devotion  to  a  friend  to  save  their  own 
lives. 

Paul’s  good  friends,  Aquila  and  Prisca,  valued  the  life 
of  Paul  above  their  own  lives.  In  one  of  his  letters  Paul 
says  of  them  that  for  his  life  they  “laid  down  their  own 
necks.” 

Review  Questions 

1.  Name  some  ways  in  which  Paul’s  second  Roman  im¬ 
prisonment  differed  from  his  first  Roman  imprisonment. 

2.  Why  do  we  believe  that  Paul’s  trial  began  favor¬ 
ably  ? 

3.  Give  some  proofs  that  Paul  was  in  poverty  during 
his  second  imprisonment  at  Rome. 

4.  Why  did  some  of  Paul’s  friends  forsake  him?  Do 
you  think  that  Satan’s  statement  was  true  of  these  Chris¬ 
tians  who  abandoned  Paul  in  his  hour  of  peril? 

5.  Name  some  friends  who  stood  by  Paul  to  the  end. 
Was  Satan’s  sneer  true  of  them? 

6.  What  did  Paul  mean  when  he  said  that  he  was 
“already  being  offered”? 

7.  Show  that  Paul’s  love  for  his  friends  continued  to 
the  end  of  his  life. 


266  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


8.  What  were  Paul’s  habits  of  prayer? 

9.  Show  that  Paul  was  thinking  much  concerning  the 
cause  of  Christ  as  he  neared  the  end  of  his  life. 

10.  What  do  we  know  concerning  the  place  and  man¬ 
ner  of  Paul’s  death? 


Bible  Verses 

Matt.  13  :44 ;  16 :26 ;  Luke  12 :22,  23 ;  John  10 :11 ;  12 :24 ; 
15:13;  Acts  20 :24 ;  Rom.  16 :3,  4 ;  Phil.  3  :7-9 ;  II  Peter  1 :1. 

Study  Topics 

1.  How  Esther  Risked  Her  Life  to  Save  Her  People. 
Esth.,  chs.  4,  5. 

2.  Causes  for  Which  a  Christian  May  Justly  Risk 
His  Life. 

3.  Some  Values  Which  a  Christian  Will  Consider 
More  Precious  Than  Life. 

4.  Some  Things  for  Which  a  Christian  Ought  Not  to 
Risk  His  Life. 

5.  A  Hero  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Field.  (Tell  the 
life  story  of  some  famous  missionary.) 

6.  A  Hero  of  the  Home  Mission  Field.  (Marcus  Whit¬ 
man,  Sheldon  Jackson,  or  Henry  H.  Spalding.) 

7.  The  Coast  Guard  or  Life-Saving  Service  of  the 
United  States. 

8.  Occupations  Which  Demand  Heroic  Unselfishness. 
(Ill.:  The  Work  of  a  Physician  in  Time  of  Epidemics.) 

9.  The  Difference  Between  Foolhardiness  and  Heroic 
Courage. 

10.  How  We  Can  Show  Heroic  Devotion  to  the  Cause 
of  Christ. 

The  Lesson  Truth  Expressed  in  a  Law 

The  Law  of  Supreme  Life  Values.  The  people  who 
look  upon  life  as  an  opportunity  to  serve  humanity  and  to 
glorify  God  accomplish  most  of  high  and  abiding  value. 
Therefore : 

1.  We  will  try  to  make  service  rather  than  selfish 
pleasure  the  standard  by  which  we  measure  life  values. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  267 


2.  We  will  look  upon  life  as  a  sacred  trust  and  not 
risk  life  or  health  in  a  foolhardy  fashion. 

3.  We  will  try  to  appreciate  more  and  more  those 
values  which  are  more  precious  than  life  itself. 

Projects  tor  Putting  the  Lesson  Truths 

Into  Practice 

Ask  pupils  to  write  out  a  brief  answer  to  the  query : 
“What  have  I  lived  for  during  the  past  week?”  En¬ 
courage  them  to  ask  themselves  such  questions  as  “Have 
I  lived  to  make  other  people  happy,  or  to  secure  pleasure 
for  myself?”  Have  pupils  make  a  list  of  things  for  which 
Paul  lived  and  labored.  Discuss  these  lists  and  talk  over 
ways  in  which  Intermediate  pupils  may  live  for  the  things 
of  greatest  and  most  lasting  value. 


CHAPTER  XX 

CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  GREAT  APOSTLE 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 
A  FRIEND  AND  HELPER  OF  MEN 
Rom.,  ch.  16 

The  events  of  Paul’s  life  which  are  contained  in  the 
New  Testament  records,  and  which  we  have  studied, 
give  us  a  fairly  complete  picture  of  the  kind  of  man  Paul 
was.  We  have  watched  him  as  a  boy  in  his  home  town. 
We  have  seen  him  launching  out  upon  his  life  work,  full 
of  ardent  but  mistaken  zeal  for  the  faith  of  his  fore¬ 
fathers.  We  have  seen  his  zeal  degenerating  into  the 
cruelty  of  a  fanatical  persecutor.  We  have  watched 
him  as  he  passed  through  that  profound  spiritual  experi¬ 
ence  which  changed  him  from  Saul  the  persecutor  to 
Paul  the  preacher  and  missionary.  We  have  seen  him 
among  pagans  and  among  Pharisees,  before  kings,  and 
laboring  with  tentmakers.  We  have  seen  him  in 
moments  of  exultation  and  in  times  when  his  spirit 
was  overwhelmed  by  perils  and  sufferings.  In  com¬ 
pleting  the  study  of  this  great  man’s  life  it  will  be 
helpful  to  gather  into  one  view  and  to  name  definitely 
some  of  the  traits  of  character  which  were  his.  In  this 
lesson  we  shall  consider  those  characteristics  which  he 
manifested  especially  in  his  dealings  with  his  fellow  men. 

Self-Respect.  The  Christian  religion  saved  Paul  from 
becoming  an  egotist;  that  is,  it  saved  him  from  being 
conceited  and  self-centered  and  selfishly  ambitious.  His 
disposition  was  naturally  inclined  that  way.  Pie  was 
not  by  nature  humble  and  self-effacing  like  Luke.  Luke 
wrote  a  large  part  of  the  New  Testament  and  never  men¬ 
tioned  his  own  name  once.  Paul  mentioned  himself  fre¬ 
quently,  and  did  not  hesitate  to  advise  others  to  follow 
him  as  an  example. 

The  Christian  religion  restrained  and  purified  Paul’s 
self-feeling  so  that  it  became  a  noble  self-respect,  almost 
a  self-reverence.  This  self-confidence  based  on  his  new 


268 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  269 


fellowship  with  Jesus  enabled  him  to  say,  “I  can  do  all 
things  in  him  that  strengtheneth  me.”  It  helped  him  to  be¬ 
come  a  great  force  which  God  could  use  in  his  plans  for  re¬ 
deeming  mankind  from  ignorance  and  superstition  and  sin. 

Courage.  We  hardly  need  to  be  told  that  Paul  was  a 
man  of  lofty  courage.  He  possessed  physical  courage. 
Neither  howling  mobs  in  the  city  nor  howling  tempests 
on  the  sea  could  make  him  afraid.  Time  and  again  he 
stood  face  to  face  with  death,  but  he  never  quailed.  Paul 
had  not  only  physical  courage  but  also  moral  courage. 
He  dared  to  stand  alone  against  his  own  countrymen. 
He  dared  to  stand  alone  in  the  controversies  with  his 
fellow  Christians  when  he  felt  that  he  was  right  and  they 
were  wrong. 

Honesty.  Paul  was  honest.  By  this  we  mean  some¬ 
thing  more  than  that  he  did  not  tell  lies.  He  had  that 
fundamental  allegiance  to  the  truth  which  has  character¬ 
ized  men  like  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  was  not  guided  by 
self-deceiving  prejudices.  He  never  pursued  a  plan  with 
secret  motives  lying  back  of  all  he  did.  As  we  would 
say  to-day,  “He  never  sailed  under  false  colors.”  He 
was  sincere,  even  when  he  was  persecuting  the  Christians. 

Sympathy.  Paul  had  that  fine  quality  of  soul  which 
enables  its  possessor  to  put  himself  in  another’s  place. 
He  could  rejoice  with  those  who  rejoiced  and  weep  with 
those  who  wept.  Sympathy  made  him  a  friend  of  little 
children  and  they  clung  to  him  when  he  was  taking  leave 
of  his  Christian  brethren  on  the  beach  at  Tyre.  Sym¬ 
pathy  made  him  the  friend  of  young  lads  like  Timothy, 
Mark,  and  Titus.  Sympathy  enabled  him  to  win  devoted 
friends  wherever  he  went  and,  what  was  of  more  impor¬ 
tance,  to  turn  many  to  the  Saviour  of  the  world. 

Earnestness.  No  one  who  has  studied  the  life  of  Paul 
can  doubt  that  he  was  tremendously  in  earnest.  Moral 
earnestness  had  a  great  deal  to  do  with  his  wonderful 
career.  His  earnestness  is  admirably  stated  in  his  own 
words  concerning  himself :  “One  thing  I  do,  forgetting 
the  things  which  are  behind,  and  stretching  forward  to 
the  things  which  are  before,  I  press  on  toward  the  goal 
unto  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus.” 

Courtesy.  Paul  was  a  well-bred  gentleman.  The  New 


270  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Testament  records  no  discourteous  act  of  his.  He  had  to 
speak  plainly  to  people  on  certain  occasions,  but  he  did 
it  in  a  courteous  manner.  His  address  before  King 
Agrippa  is  a  masterpiece  of  courteous  appeal.  His  little 
letter  to  Philemon  is  one  of  the  world’s  classical  illustra¬ 
tions  of  courteous  letter-writing.  It  would  be  hard  to 
overestimate  the  advantage  it  was  to  Paul  that  he  had 
developed  habits  of  politeness. 

Humility.  We  have  said  that  Paul  came  near  being  an 
egotist.  He  escaped  that  fate  because  he  came  to  know 
Jesus  and  to  become  in  some  degree  like  his  great 
Teacher.  Certain  things  in  his  life  were  used  of  God  to 
develop  a  Christian  humility  in  his  servant.  When  Paul 
fell  to  thinking  about  the  great  things  he  had  accom¬ 
plished  and  his  natural  egotism  began  to  swell  up  into 
unworthy  pride,  there  would  come  a  thought  which 
caused  his  head  to  bow  in  meekness  and  he  would 
say,  “I  persecuted  the  Church  of  Christ.”  Moreover, 
some  bodily  affliction  rested  upon  him  and  he  came  to 
see  that  this  hardship  was  a  blessing  in  disguise  because 
it  kept  him  humble  and  helped  him  to  realize  his  depend¬ 
ence  upon  God. 

His  humility  made  Paul  democratic.  His  early  training 
had  fitted  him  to  become  a  typical  Pharisee,  proud,  self- 
righteous,  and  exclusive.  Without  Christianity  he  would 
have  been  like  other  Pharisees  who  despised  the  common 
people  and  dreaded  to  touch  the  garments  of  a  working¬ 
man.  All  this  was  reversed  when  Paul  became  a  Christian. 
He  became  one  of  the  most  democratic  men  the  world 
has  ever  seen.  He  recognized  the  universal  brotherhood 
of  man.  He  became  the  companion  and  helper  of  the  Gen¬ 
tiles  he  had  once  despised.  He  had  fellowship  with 
slaves.  He  labored  with  his  hands  and  talked  with  his 
fellow  workmen  as  they  toiled  together.  He  called  con¬ 
verted  pagans  his  “beloved  and  longed-for,”  his  “joy  and 
crown.”  He  picked  up  sticks  on  the  beach  of  Malta  that 
he  might  kindle  a  fire  to  warm  his  shipwrecked  com¬ 
panions  and  himself. 

Tenderness.  The  bravest  are  often  the  most  tender. 
Cowards  are  apt  to  be  cruel.  Among  the  Christians  in 
Rome  was  a  certain  man  named  Rufus.  He  lived  with 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  271 


his  aged  mother.  Paul  had  learned  about  this  mother 
and  her  son.  Possibly  he  had  met  them  on  some  of  his 
missionary  journeys.  It  may  be  that  they  were  converted 
to  Christianity  under  Paul’s  influence.  At  all  events  Paul 
kept  that  son  and  his  mother  in  mind.  At  Corinth  he 
composed  his  letter  to  the  Roman  Christians.  This  letter 
is  one  of  the  greatest  documents  ever  written.  At  the 
close  of  the  letter  Paul  sent  personal  greetings  to  many 
people  in  Rome.  Perhaps  the  letter  was  read  before  the 
assembled  church.  What  a  delightful  surprise  it  must 
have  been  to  that  little  old  woman  and  her  son  to  hear 
this  tender  salutation  from  the  great  apostle,  “Salute 
Rufus  the  chosen  in  the  Lord,  and  his  mother  and  mine.’’ 

Leadership.  Paul  possessed  the  qualities  needed  for 
leadership.  He  had  the  characteristics  which  inspire  con¬ 
fidence.  He  possessed  that  indomitable  will  without 
which  no  man  has  ever  led  others  in  a  long  and  danger¬ 
ous  and  difficult  quest. 

Diligence.  We  must  have  been  impressed  by  the  tre¬ 
mendous  diligence  of  Paul.  He  did  not  follow  a  policy 
of  as  little  work  and  as  much  pleasure  as  possible.  Sick 
or  in  prison  or  marooned  on  a  lonely  island  he  found 
something  to  do,  and  he  did  it  with  all  his  might. 

Perseverance.  Paul  never  gave  up.  Difficulties 
seemed  to  breed  in  him  a  dogged  determination  to  suc¬ 
ceed.  If  he  did  not  accomplish  his  purpose  at  one  attempt 
he  tried  again.  He  became  discouraged  at  times,  but 
discouragement  seemed  to  goad  him  on  to  greater  effort 
and  in  new  endeavors  he  found  renewed  courage. 

Ambition.  Paul  aimed  high.  He  was  a  man  of  worthy 
ambition.  His  ambition  seems  to  have  grown  higher  and 
stronger  with  his  advancing  years.  At  an  age  when 
most  men  are  beginning  to  think  of  retirement  and  a  life 
of  quiet  ease,  Paul  was  saying  of  himself,  “I  must  see 
Rome  and  after  that  I  must  pass  on  to  Spain.’’ 

Suggestions  eor  Notebook  Work 

Have  pupils  make  out  a  list  of  other  characteristics  of 
Paul  and  indicate  the  New  Testament  passages  which 
illustrate  the  qualities  of  character  named.  Picture  :  Mars’ 
Hill,  Athens,  No.  457. 


272  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

A  SOUL  THAT  FELT  THE  PRESENCE  OF  GOD 

Rom.  5  :1-11 

In  the  preceding  lesson  some  of  Paul’s  qualities  of  char¬ 
acter  were  listed  and  briefly  discussed.  Paul  was  seen 
to  be  a  man  of  courage  and  sympathy.  His  attitudes 
toward  his  fellow  men  were  seen  to  be  on  a  high  plane  of 
helpfulness.  These  right  relationships  had  a  foundation 
which  was  not  discussed  in  the  preceding  chapter.  Peo¬ 
ple  who  live  helpfully  and  sympathetically  with  their 
fellows  are  able  to  do  so  because  they  have  come  to  know 
and  obey  the  Father  and  God  of  all  mankind.  Back  of 
Paul’s  attitudes  toward  people  was  his  relationship  to 
God.  There  can  be  no  true  brotherhood  among  men 
without  righteousness  toward  God. 

Thoughtless  people  sometimes  say  that  it  does  not 
make  so  very  much  difference  what  a  person  believes 
about  God  so  long  as  that  person  treats  his  fellow  men 
justly  and  kindly.  Such  statements  are  very  misleading. 
They  overlook  the  fact  that  a  person’s  ideas  of  God  deter¬ 
mine  that  person’s  attitudes  toward  mankind.  Monsters 
of  iniquity  and  cruelty  like  Herod,  Nero,  and  the  Duke  of 
Alva  have  been  scourges  to  mankind  because  they  either 
left  God  out  of  their  thinking  or  held  ideas  concerning 
him  which  were  erroneous  and  degraded.  When  the 
Turks  destroyed  tens  of  thousands  of  women  and  children 
during  and  after  the  World  War,  they  were  acting  in 
harmony  with  the  ideas  of  God  taught  them  by  their 
religion. 

Underneath  the  majestic  character  of  the  apostle  whose 
life  we  have  been  studying  were  certain  beliefs  concern¬ 
ing  God.  These  beliefs  entered  into  all  he  did  and  all  that 
he  planned.  They  made  him  true  and  faithful  among 
men.  They  molded  his  character  in  forms  of  strength 
and  grandeur.  It  ought  to  be  a  matter  of  utmost  im¬ 
portance,  then,  to  determine  what  Paul  believed  about 
God.  Boys  and  girls  of  the  Intermediate  Department 
are  establishing  lifelong  ideas  about  God.  It  is  well  for 
them  to  know  that  these  ideas  will  have  more  to  do  with 
their  destinies  than  anything  else  they  learn  or  do. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  273 


The  Majestic  Creator  of  the  Universe.  Rom.  1 :20. 
From  his  infancy  Paul  had  been  taught  that  Jehovah 
made  the  heavens  and  the  earth.  He  had  heard  the 
sublime  story  of  the  creation  as  it  is  contained  in  the 
Book  of  Genesis.  To  him  the  world  of  Nature  spoke  of 
the  “everlasting  power  and  divinity”  of  God.  As  a  child 
he  had  joined  in  the  synagogue  songs  which  proclaimed 
the  glory  of  God  as  revealed  in  his  works : 

“The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God; 

And  the  firmament  showeth  his  handiwork. 

Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech, 

And  night  unto  night  showeth  knowledge.” 

— Ps.  19:1,2. 

We  have  even  stronger  grounds  for  believing  in  a  God 
who  is  the  majestic  Creator  of  the  universe  than  Paul 
had.  The  more  we  know  about  the  universe,  the  more 
wonderful  and  mysterious  it  is  seen  to  be ;  the  more  we 
need  the  thought  of  a  great  First  Cause  who  is  the  source 
of  all  things. 

The  Ever-Present  Ruler.  Acts  13:16-33.  There  are 
some  people  who  believe  that  God  created  the  universe 
and  set  it  in  motion  and  then  withdrew  leaving  the  uni¬ 
verse  to  take  care  of  itself.  These  people  are  called  deists. 
Paul  was  no  deist.  He  believed  that  God  was  present 
in  the  events  of  history,  working  toward  the  great  goal 
which  he  had  set  before  humanity.  In  his  address  to  the 
synagogue  congregation  in  Pisidian  Antioch,  Paul 
showed  how  God  had*  worked  through  Jewish  history 
and  how  he  had  prepared  the  world  for  the  coming  of 
Jesus  his  Son. 

The  person  who  studies  history  profoundly  will  find 
God  everywhere  in  the  record  of  world  events,  unless, 
indeed,  he  be  spiritually  blind.  As  the  scientist  of  spirit¬ 
ual  vision  finds  God  in  the  natural  world,  so  the  historian 
of  spiritual  vision  finds  him  in  the  currents  of  human 
history.  Here  and  there  in  the  history  of  our  own  coun¬ 
try  the  providence  of  God  is  evident.  His  presence  is 
still  more  plainly  seen  when  we  survey  our  national 
history  as  a  whole. 

Because  Paul  could  see  God’s  hand  in  the  current  of 


274  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


world  events,  he  was  able  to  act  in  harmony  with  God’s 
plans.  If  he  had  been  a  disbeliever  in  God,  he  could  not 
have  become  the  great  leader  of  one  of  the  mightiest 
forces  of  history. 

The  Holy  One  of  Israel.  Isa.  6:1-5;  Rom.  1 :18.  It  is 

a  significant  fact  that  the  great  religious  leaders  of 
humanity  have  usually  passed  through  some  spiritual 
experience  wherein  they  came  to  understand  something 
of  the  perfect  holiness  of  God.  Not  all  of  them  have  seen 
visions  such  as  Isaiah  saw  of  angels  chanting  a  song  of 
praise  and  saying,  “Holy,  holy,  holy,  is  Jehovah  of  hosts: 
the  whole  earth  is  full  of  his  glory.”  All  have  come  to 
understand  something  of  God’s  holiness,  however,  and 
have  felt  something  of  the  awe  which  Isaiah  felt  when 
he  said,  “Woe  is  me!  for  I  am  undone;  because  I  am  a 
man  of  unclean  lips,  and  I  dwell  in  the  midst  of  a  people 
of  unclean  lips:  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  the  King,  Jeho¬ 
vah  of  hosts.” 

Paul  had  caught  a  vision  of  the  holiness  of  God.  Think¬ 
ing  of  such  a  God  many  times  a  day,  praying  to  such  a 
God,  believing  that  such  a  God  was  watching  everything 
he  said  or  did  or  thought,  Paul  developed  a  character  of 
strength  and  grandeur. 

The  Righteous  Judge.  Rom.  1 :28-32.  Paul  believed 
in  a  God  of  perfect  righteousness  and  unchanging  justice. 
If  a  person  really  believes  in  such  a  God,  it  is  next  to 
impossible  for  that  person  to  grow  deceitful  and  hypo¬ 
critical  in  his  own  soul.  Unbelief  is  the  soul  darkness  in 
which  evils  grow  like  mold  in  a  dark  cellar.  Full  faith  in 
a  God  of  righteousness  and  justice,  a  God  of  .perfect 
wisdom  who  knows  the  innermost  thought  of  the  heart, 
helps  a  person  to  become  righteous  and  just. 

The  Heavenly  Father.  Rom.  5:1-11.  Most  of  what 
we  have  said  thus  far  concerning  Paul’s  ideas  of  God  may 
have  been  learned  by  the  apostle  at  an  early  age.  The 
Jewish  religion  emphasized  the  creative  power  of  God, 
his  presence  in  the  affairs  of  men,  his  holiness,  and  his 
justice.  When  Paul  was  converted  to  Christianity,  he 
came  to  know  certain  things  about  God  which  he  could 
not  have  learned  without  becoming  a  Christian.  The 
greatest  elements  of  God’s  character  are  revealed  in  their 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  275 


fullness  only  in  the  life,  teachings,  and  death  of  Jesus  his 
Son.  Through  Jesus,  Paul  came  to  know  God  as  the 
heavenly  Father.  Paul  came  to  understand,  better  per¬ 
haps  than  any  other  man  of  his  day,  how  the  death  of 
Jesus  on  the  cross  revealed  the  infinite  love  for  a  sinful 
and  rebellious  world. 

It  was  this  last-named  tribute  of  God  that  took  hold 
of  Paul’s  soul  and  lifted  him  to  strength  and  grandeur 
of  personality.  It  was  not  the  idea  of  a  God  of  power  or 
a  God  of  exalted  holiness  or  a  God  of  ever-present 
activity  or  a  God  of  perfect  righteousness,  so  much  as 
it  was  the  idea  of  a  God  of  compassion  and  self-sacrifice 
that  inspired  Paul  and  made  him  a  mighty  worker  for 
the  Kingdom. 

A  God  Triumphant.  I  Cor.  15  : 1-19.  The  great  change 
in  Paul’s  life  came  when,  on  the  road  to  Damascus,  he 
was  convinced  that  God  had  raised  Jesus  from  the  dead. 
A  belief  in  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  gave  him  a  vision 
of  the  ultimate  triumph  of  God  and  righteousness  over 
all  the  forces  of  evil.  With  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  the 
triumph  of  God  had  begun.  This  is  why  Paul  never 
felt  that  he  was  fighting  a  losing  battle,  even  when  every¬ 
thing  seemed  to  be  going  against  him.  He  was  “in  league 
with  the  Infinite.”  His  plans  could  never  really  fail  be¬ 
cause  his  plans  were  God’s  plans  and  God  could  not  fail. 

If  we  wish  a  brief  statement  concerning  how  Paul  was 
saved  from  a  worse  than  useless  career  as  a  persecutor 
to  become  a  force  for  righteousness  during  his  own  gen¬ 
eration  and  forever,  we  can  find  it  in  his  own  words  of 
advice  given  to  people  of  his  day:  “If  thou  shalt  confess 
with  thy  mouth  Jesus  as  Lord,  and  shalt  believe  in  thy 
heart  that  God  raised  him  from  the  dead,  thou  shalt  be 
saved:  for  with  the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteous¬ 
ness  ;  and  with  the  mouth  confession  is  made  unto 
salvation.”  Rom.  10:9,  10. 

The:  Lesson  Prayer 

Our  Father  in  heaven,  we  pray  that  we  may  come  to 
know  thee  better  every  day.  Help  us  to  see  thee  in  thy 
works  of  creation.  Teach  us  to  understand  thy  holiness. 
As  we  study  about  the  events  of  history,  help  us  to  see 


276  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


the  working  out  of  thy  plans  in  all  the  affairs  of  men. 
We  thank  thee  for  the  gift  of  thy  Son,  who  has  made  it 
possible  for  us  to  know  thee  as  Father.  We  thank  thee 
for  the  Church  and  all  its  agencies  for  uplifting  humanity. 
We  thank  thee  for  the  many  who  have  followed  thy  Son 
and  who  have  left  to  us  the  inspiration  of  their  devoted 
and  useful  lives.  Amen. 

Supplemental  Missionary  Story 

“The  Man  Who  Would  Go  On.”  “The  Book  of  Mis¬ 
sionary  Heroes,”  page  131. 


EXPRESSION AL  SESSION 

POSSIBILITIES  OF  SPIRITUAL  DEVELOPMENT  AND 
DANGERS  OF  SPIRITUAL  DEGENERATION 

I  John  3  :l-3 ;  Rom.  1 :18-25 

Luther  Burbank  has  been  called  “The  Plant  Wizard. 
He  has  taken  a  common  wayside  weed  and  developed  it 
into  the  Shasta  daisy.  Out  of  the  wild  thorny  cactus  he 
has  developed  the  thornless  cactus  which  makes  excellent 
fodder  for  cattle  and  bears  fruits  delicious  to  man.  Plants 
are  not  only  capable  of  development,  but  likewise  capable 
of  degeneration.  In  some  western  states  the  garden  let¬ 
tuce  has  taken  to  the  fields  and  grows  wild.  It  no  longer 
forms  the  delicious  heads  which  it  developed  under  the 
gardener  s  care.  It  has  become  so  bitter  in  taste  that 

people  can  no  longer  eat  it. 

This  matter  of  development  and  degeneration  belongs 
to  all  living  things.  We  see  it  in  bird  life.  The  oriole 
has  developed  the  power  to  build  a  nest  that  is  a  marvel 
of  beauty  and  convenience  and  his  song  is  clear  and  pleas¬ 
ing.  The  cowbird  has  shirked  the  responsibilities  of 
home-building  and  has  lost  the  skill  needed  to  construct 
a  nest  and  the  power  to  sing  a  pleasing  song. 

Development  and  degeneration  are  continually  contend¬ 
ing  for  supremacy  in  our  lives.  If  we  take  proper  exer- 
cise  and  eat  wholesome  food,  we  develop  physical  health. 
If  we  live  in  defiance  of  the  laws  of  health,  sooner  or 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  277 

later  we  find  that  physical  degeneration  is  steadily  break¬ 
ing  down  the  powers  of  the  body. 

Mental  power  is  capable  of  almost  unlimited  develop¬ 
ment,  but  if  it  is  not  used  it  quickly  degenerates.  The 
g'reat  musicians,  philosophers,  and  authors  of  the  race 
have  owed  their  greatness  to  a  constant  and  careful  de¬ 
velopment  of  their  native  powers.  In  many  cases,  these 
eminent  people  were  not  more  gifted  than  thousands  of 
their  fellow  men,  but  they  went  forward,  whereas  most 
of  their  companions  loitered  by  the  way  and  ultimately 
lost  the  talents  with  which  God  had  endowed  them. 

In  nothing  is  this  tendency  to  develop  or  degenerate 
more  marked  than  in  spiritual  matters.  Almost  limitless 
opportunities  for  development  are  open  to  the  soul  of 
man,  but  there  are,  likewise,  almost  limitless  depths  of 
degradation  into  which  the  soul  is  apt  to  sink  unless  there 
is  a  constant  upward  striving.  The  soul  may  become 
more  and  more  like  Jesus  Christ  or  it  may  become  more 
and  more  unlike  him.  We  ought  all  of  us  to  pause  occa¬ 
sionally  and  take  account  of  stock,  to  ask  ourselves, 
'‘Which  way  am  I  moving?” 

Some  Truths  from  the  Lessons  We  Have 

Been  Studying 

Paul  came  near  degenerating  into  one  of  the  worst  per¬ 
secutors  of  history.  His  fellowship  with  Jesus  enabled 
him  to  develop  into  one  of  the  greatest  Christian  leaders 
of  all  the  centuries. 

.  Through  fellowship  with  Jesus,  Paul  developed  the 
right  kind  of  self-respect. 

Because  of  the  kind  of  teaching  he  had  received  in  his 
early  years,  Paul  had  degenerated  into  a  person  of  nar¬ 
row  and  cruel  spirit.  After  he  became  a  Christian,  he 
cast  off  these  qualities  of  character  and  became  broadly 
sympathetic. 

Physical  development  has  certain  limitations  beyond 
which  it  cannot  go.  If  John  the  disciple  had  chosen  to 
be  an  athlete,  he  might  have  developed  a  certain  amount 
of  strength  and  skill,  but  his  accomplishment  would  have 
been  limited  and  temporary.  Old  age  would  have  been 


278  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


inevitable  for  him,  bringing  the  loss  of  physical  power. 
He  chose  the  way  of  spiritual  development,  and  when 
he  was  nearly  a  hundred  years  old,  he  could  say  that  he 
was  just  beginning  a  soul  development  which  would  make 
him  more  and  more  like  his  Master. 

Review  Questions 

1.  What  is  egotism?  Show  that  Paul  came  near  being 
an  egotist. 

2.  Give  evidence  that  Paul  was  intellectually  and  spir¬ 
itually  honest. 

3.  Name  an  incident  in  Paul’s  life  which  shows  that 
he  possessed  wide  sympathy. 

4.  Give  reasons  for  believing  that  Paul  was  deeply  in 
earnest. 

5.  Name  incidents  in  the  life  of  Paul  which  illustrate 
his  courage. 

6.  What  qualities  are  needed  for  true  leadership? 

7.  Why  are  a  person’s  ideas  about  God  important? 

8.  Name  some  things  which  Paul  evidently  believed 
about  God  and  show  how  these  beliefs  influenced  his 
character. 

9.  What  effect  did  a  belief  in  the  resurrection  of  Jesus 
have  over  Paul’s  character? 

10.  Show  how  all  living  things  are  apt  to  be  either 
developing  or  degenerating. 

Bibee  Verses 

Gen.  1:26;  Ps.  92:12-14;  Hosea  14:5;  Luke  11:24-26; 
Rom.  6:5,  6;  Eph.  2:19-22;  II  Thess.  1:3;  II  Tim.  3:13; 
I  Peter  2:1-3;  II  Peter  3:18. 

Study  Topics 

1.  The  Perfect  Development  of  the  Boy  Jesus.  Luke 

2 :40. 

2.  The  Perfect  Development  of  Jesus  in  Young  Man¬ 
hood.  Luke  2:52. 

3.  A  Parable  Which  Pictures  Soul  Development. 
Mark  4:26-29. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  279 


4.  The  Spiritual  Development  of  John  the  Disciple 
Under  the  Influence  of  Jesus. 

5.  How  the  Character  of  Judas  Degenerated  Even 
While  He  Was  a  Disciple. 

6.  How  Jealousy  Caused  the  Character  of  King  Saul 
to  Degenerate. 

7.  The  Degenerate  Religion  of  the  Scribes  and  Phari¬ 
sees.  Matt.  23  :23-28. 

8.  Paul’s  Longing  for  Spiritual  Growth.  Phil.  3:12-14. 

9.  Opportunities  for  the  Development  of  Self-Control. 

10.  What  a  Person  Must  Do  in  Order  to  Develop  a 
Spirit  of  Sympathy  and  Kindness. 

The  Lesson  Truth  Expressed  in  a  Law 

The  Law  of  Spiritual  Development  and  Spiritual  De¬ 
generation.  The  human  spirit  is  almost  inevitably  de¬ 
veloping  into  strength  and  purity  or  degenerating  into 
weakness  and  impurity.  Each  person  must  choose  for 
himself  which  way  his  soul  is  to  move.  Therefore: 

1.  We  will  from  time  to  time  examine  our  lives,  seek¬ 
ing  with  God’s  help  to  discover  which  way  we  are  moving 
in  spiritual  matters. 

2.  We  will  seek  to  avoid  the  dangers  of  degeneration 
which  have  so  often  proved  spiritually  disastrous  to 
people  who  have  lived  before  us. 

3.  We  will  seek  the  way  of  spiritual  development 
which  God  has  revealed  through  the  life  and  teachings  of 
Jesus. 

Projects  eor  Putting  the  Lesson  Truths 

Into  Practice 

Have  pupils  make  a  list  of  things  which  lead  to  spir¬ 
itual  degeneration.  (For  example,  jealousy,  hatred,  self¬ 
ishness,  impure  thinking,  hypocrisy,  and  the  like.)  Have 
the  class  compile  a  set  of  questions  which  a  person  might 
use  in  a  spiritual  self-examination.  (For  example:  “Am 
I  becoming  kinder  day  by  day?  Am  I  gaining  in  self- 
control  ?  Do  I  obey  my  parents  and  teachers  more  cheer¬ 
fully  and  more  promptly  than  I  did  a  year  ago?’’)  If  the 
teacher  has  won  the  confidence  of  pupils,  personal  inter¬ 
views  may  be  helpful. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

JESUS  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  PAUL 
WEEK  DAY  SESSION 
A  CONSTANT  COMPANION  AND  FRIEND 
I  Cor.  1:9;  Phil.  2:1-11;  Col.  1:9-17 

Just  before  his  ascension  Jesus  told  his  disciples  that  he 
would  be  with  them  always.  He  did  not  mean  that  he 
would  always  be  with  them  as  a  physical  presence.  He 
meant  that  he  would  be  spiritually  present.  We  cannot 
understand  how  Jesus  can  be  present  constantly  with  his 
followers  all  over  the  world,  but  we  believe  that  he  is 
present  in  this  very  way.  We  believe  it  because  he  said 
it,  because  there  are  evidences  of  his  presence,  and  be¬ 
cause  it  is  possible  to  experience  his  constant  presence. 
Paul  believed  in  the  continual  presence  of  Jesus  in  his 
own  life.  He  felt  the  presence  of  Jesus  through  all  his 
toils  and  dangers.  He  saw  evidences  of  the  presence  of 
Jesus  in  the  lives  of  those  who  had  become  his  followers. 

It  was  the  constant  fellowship  with  Jesus  that  made 
Paul’s  life  great  and  useful.  It  was  Jesus  who  taught  him 
how  to  serve  his  fellow  men  and  how  to  win  them  to  the 
higher  life.  It  was  Jesus  who  gave  him  his  highest  ideals 
concerning  God.  In  Jesus  he  had  come  to  know  God  as 
the  loving  Father.  It  may  be  helpful  to  set  down  in 
order  what  Jesus  was  to  Paul,  for  it  is  possible  for  him 
to  be  to  each  one  of  us  the  constant  Companion  and 
Friend  that  he  was  to  the  great  apostle. 

Paul’s  Saviour.  Rom.  5  : 10,  11 ;  Gal.  2:20.  Paul  looked 
upon  Jesus  as  the  one  who  had  redeemed  his  life  from 
evil  and  destruction.  He  believed  that  it  was  Jesus  who 
made  it  possible  for  him  to  be  reconciled  to  God.  He 
believed  that  Jesus  had  died  on  the  cross  that  the  world 
might  be  saved.  Paul’s  constant  attitude  toward  Jesus 
was,  therefore,  one  of  loving  gratitude.  Love  of  Jesus 
became  the  ruling  passion  of  his  life.  It  makes  a  vast 
difference  what  motives  govern  our  actions.  If  we  are 

280 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  281 


governed  by  bodily  appetites,  we  must  inevitably  become 
brutish.  If  we  are  governed  by  selfish  ambitions,  we 
inevitably  become  narrow  in  our  sympathies  and  spiritu¬ 
ally  blind  to  the  greatest  things  in  life.  Paul’s  life  was 
governed  by  love  and  gratitude,  and  these  forces  carried 
his  character  to  heights  of  grandeur  and  to  lasting 
usefulness. 

Paul’s  Master.  Rom.  1  :1.  Paul  speaks  of  himself  as 
the  “servant”  of  Jesus.  The  Greek  word  which  Paul 
used  might  have  been  translated  “bond  servant”  or 
“slave.”  That  was  exactly  what  Paul  meant.  He  thought 
of  himself  as  belonging  wholly  to  Jesus  who  had  re¬ 
deemed  his  life  from  sin  and  death.  It  is  not  good  for 
any  human  being  to  be  a  mere  servant  to  any  other 
human  being.  No  person  can  develop  the  highest  type 
of  character  without  personal  freedom.  With  Jesus,  the 
case  is  different.  In  becoming  servants  of  Jesus  we  enter 
true  freedom.  In  the  service  of  Jesus,  Paul  developed 
into  one  of  the  greatest  persons  of  history.  This  was 
because  his  fellowship  with  Jesus  took  from  Paul’s  nature 
that  which  was  selfish  and  base,  and  because  the  fellow¬ 
ship  with  Jesus  helped  all  that  was  best  in  Paul’s  nature 
to  come  to  full  fruitage. 

Paul’s  Teacher.  Gal.  1  :15-17.  Paul  tells  us  in  his  let¬ 
ter  to  the  Galatians  that  he  did  not  learn  his  gospel  from 
“flesh  and  blood,”  and  that  after  his  conversion  he  did 
not  go  up  to  Jerusalem  and  become  a  pupil  of  the  apos¬ 
tles.  He  tells  us  that  he  went  away  into  Arabia,  and  we 
know  that  he  must  have  remained  there  for  a  considerable 
time,  perhaps  for  about  three  years.  It  is  probable  that 
during  this  time  Paul  was  thinking  out  the  great  facts 
contained  in  the  life  and  death  and  teachings  of  Jesus. 
He  was  during  these  years  a  pupil  in  the  school  of  Jesus, 
and  he  was  so  ready  to  learn  that  he  eventually  grasped 
more  of  the  truth  of  the  Christian  religion  than  any  other 
man  of  his  day. 

Paul’s  schooling  did  not  cease  when  he  came  back 
from  Arabia.  All  his  life  he  was  a  pupil  of  the  great 
Teacher.  The  longer  he  lived  the  better  he  came  to  know 
his  great  Teacher.  It  was  well  for  the  Christian  Church 
that  Paul  had  come  to  know  the  mind  of  Christ  so  well. 


28 2  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


We  have  seen  how  Paul  saved  the  Church  when  it  was 
almost  ready  to  fall  into  errors  which  would  have  hin¬ 
dered  its  progress  for  centuries. 

Paul’s  Guide.  Acts  23:11.  There  came  times  when 
Paul  had  to  make  momentous  decisions.  We  can  note 
many  times  in  his  life  when  a  wrong  choice  would  have 
brought  disasters  to  himself  and  to  the  cause  he  loved, 
but  he  seemed  always  to  make  the  right  decision.  The 
explanation  of  his  happy  choices  does  not  lie  in  the  sup¬ 
position  that  his  own  wisdom  was  always  sufficient  to 
make  him  choose  the  right  pathway.  It  lies  in  the  fact 
that  he  had  a  Guide  who  was  ever  present  and  whose 
counsels  he  had  learned  to  obey.  At  the  parting  of  the 
ways  Paul  heard  the  voice  of  Jesus  saying  to  him,  “This 
is  the  way,  walk  ye  in  it,”  and  he  obeyed  the  voice  of 
his  Guide. 

Paul’s  Defender.  II  Tim.  4:16,  17.  There  were  times 
when  Paul  felt  as  though  Jesus  was  by  his  side  as  his 
Defender.  When  he  had  been  mobbed  and  had  barely 
escaped  with  his  life  in  Jerusalem,  he  felt  safe  because 
Jesus  had  told  him  to  be  of  good  courage  and  that  he  must 
some  day  see  Rome.  In  the  midst  of  the  shipwreck  at 
Malta,  Paul  was  the  calmest  and  most  useful  man  in  the 
company,  because  he  had  faith  in  his  great  Defender  who 
had  promised  him  his  life  and  the  lives  of  all  that  were 
with  him  in  the  ship.  At  the  beginning  of  his  second  trial 
in  Rome,  most  of  Paul’s  friends  forsook  him,  but  Paul 
was,  for  the  time,  saved  because  he  had  an  unseen  De¬ 
fender  of  whom  he  could  say,  “The  Lord  stood  by  me, 
and  strengthened  me ;  .  .  .  and  I  was  delivered  out  of 
the  mouth  of  the  lion.” 

What  Paul  Believed  About  Jesus.  Phil.  2:1-11;  Col. 
1 :9-17.  From  what  has  been  said  in  the  preceding  para¬ 
graphs,  we  might  justly  conclude  that  Paul  thought  of 
Jesus  as  more  than  a  merely  human  helper  and  friend. 
Fortunately,  we  are  not  left  to  mere  conjectures  as  to 
what  Paul  thought  about  Jesus.  He  often  speaks  of 
Jesus  in  such  a  way  that  we  know  that  he  believed  Jesus 
to  be  the  Son  of  God.  He  calls  Jesus  “the  image  of  the 
invisible  God,  the  firstborn  of  all  creation.”  He  says  of 
Jesus,  “In  him  were  all  things  created,  in  the  heavens 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  283 


and  upon  the  earth,  things  visible  and  things  invisible, 
whether  thrones  or  dominions  or  principalities  or  powers ; 
all  things  have  been  created  through  him,  and  unto  him ; 
and  he  is  before  all  things,  and  in  him  all  things  consist.” 
He  says  that  Jesus  existed  in  the  form  of  God,  but  “emp¬ 
tied  himself”  and  took  on  him  “the  form  of  a  servant, 
being  made  in  the  likeness  of  men ;  and  being  found  in 
fashion  as  a  man,  he  humbled  himself,  becoming  obedient 
even  unto  death,  yea,  the  death  of  the  cross.” 

Paul  believed  that  Jesus  died  and  that  he  rose  again 
on  the  third  day.  He  believed  that  Jesus  would  conquer 
the  world  and  make  it  into  the  Kingdom  of  God.  He 
declared  that  “in  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should 
bow,  of  things  in  heaven  and  things  on  earth  and  things 
under  the  earth,  and  that  every  tongue  should  confess 
that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father.” 

Salvation  Through  Faith.  This  study  of  what  Jesus 
meant  in  the  life  of  Paul  ought  to  help  us, to  understand 
the  New  Testament  statement  that  we  are  saved  by  faith 
in  Jesus.  Paul  especially  emphasized  this  truth  and  we 
may  believe  that  he  knew  it  through  personal  experience. 
Paul’s  faith  in  Jesus  as  the  Son  of  God  and  the  Saviour 
of  the  world  led  him  to  accept  Jesus  as  Master,  Teacher, 
and  Friend.  Faith  in  Jesus  thus  opened  up  before  Paul 
vast  possibilities  for  spiritual  development  through  fel¬ 
lowship  with  Jesus.  The  same  way  of  salvation  and 
spiritual  development  lies  open  to  every  individual  and 
to  all  the  world.  It  is  thus  that  the  world  is  to  be  re¬ 
deemed  and  the  Kingdom  of  God  established,  when 
people  believe  in  Jesus  and  become  his  true  pupils  and 
his  loyal  followers. 

“Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock:  if  any  man 
hear  my  voice  and  open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him, 
and  will  sup  with  him,  and  he  with  me.” 

Suggestions  for  Notebook  Work 

For  a  closing  essay  in  the  notebooks  some  subject  such 
as  “Lessons  I  Have  Learned  from  the  Life  of  Paul”  might 
be  used.  Closing  Picture:  I  Am  the  Light  of  the  World, 
by  Holman  Hunt,  No.  93. 


284  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

“THE  HIGH  CALLING  OF  GOD  IN  CHRIST  JESUS’' 

Phil.  3:14 

“I  press  on  toward  the  goal  unto  the  prize  of  the  high 
calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus."  Paul  penned  an  explana¬ 
tion  of  his  own  wonderful  life  when  he  wrote  these  words. 
The  verse  mentions  three  persons:  First  of  all,  God  the 
infinite  Father,  calling  a  man  to  the  higher  life;  second, 
Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  and  the  instrument  through 
which  God  calls  to  men;  third,  a  man  striving  upward 
in  answer  to  the  voice  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ.  This  is  a 
picture  of  Paul’s  life.  It  is  a  picture  of  the  life  of  every 
Christian  who  is  day  by  day  growing  into  the  likeness  of 
Jesus.  Paul’s  statement  is,  therefore,  one  which  concerns 
us  all,  and  it  may  well  be  made  the  basis  of  the  closing 
lesson  in  this  book.  To  what  does  God  call  us  in  Jesus 
Christ?  How  can  we  answer  this  call  of  God?  What 
will  be  the  result  if  we  hear  and  answer  the  call  of  God 
in  Christ?  These  are  some  of  the  questions  for  which  we 
are  to  seek  an  answer  in  the  following  paragraphs. 

Through  Jesus,  God  Calls  All  Mankind  to  a  Better 
Understanding  of  Himself  Than  the  World  Has  Ever 
Had  Before.  Other  New  Testament  writers  besides  Paul 
have  realized  that,  in  Jesus,  God  was  revealing  himself  to 
mankind  in  a  new  and  clear  way.  John  the  disciple  says, 
“And  this  is  the  message  which  we  have  heard  from  him 
and  announce  unto  you,  that  God  is  light,  and  in  him  is 
no  darkness  at  all.”  I  John  1  :5.  The  author  of  the 
Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  says,  “God,  having  of  old  time 
spoken  unto  the  fathers  in  the  prophets  by  divers  portions 
and  in  divers  manners,  hath  at  the  end  of  these  days 
spoken  unto  us  in  his  Son,  whom  he  appointed  heir  of  all 
things,  through  whom  also  he  made  the  worlds;  who 
being  the  effulgence  of  his  glory,  and  the  very  image  of 
his  substance,  and  upholding  all  things  by  the  word  of 
his  power,  when  he  had  made  purification  of  sins,  sat 
down  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high.”  Heb. 

1  :l-3. 

Mistaken  ideas  concerning  the  character  of  God  have 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  2S5 


been  responsible  for  an  immeasurable  amount  of  suffering 
and  loss  in  the  world.  Because  pagan  people  know  little 
about  the  God  in  whom  “is  no  darkness  at  air’  they  wor¬ 
ship  idols  of  wood  and  stone  and  sometimes  commit  ter¬ 
rible  acts  in  order  to  gain  the  favor  of  their  gods  of 
darkness.  Paul  had  been  taught  in  the  best  schools  of  the 
day,  but  his  ideas  of  God  were  mixed  with  darkness  until 
he  came  to  know  God  as  he  was  revealed  to  men  in  Jesus. 

Men  will  never  learn  to  be  brothers  until  they  come  to 
know  the  God  and  Father  of  all  men.  The  world  brother¬ 
hood,  in  which  there  will  be  no  war  and  no  oppression, 
will  be  established  as  men  come  to  know  God  as  he  is 
revealed  by  Jesus.  Those  who  are  trying  to  help  their 
fellow  men  to  become  followers  of  Christ  are,  therefore, 
working  for  the  coming  of  the  day  when  God’s  will  shall 
be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  done  in  heaven. 

Through  Jesus,  God  Calls  Us  to  an  Understanding  of 
Ourselves.  Paul  did  not  really  know  himself  until  he 
came  to  know  Jesus.  He  thought  that  he  was  very 
righteous  because  he  could  repeat  hundreds  of  pages  from 
the  lav/  and  the  traditions  of  the  rabbis.  He  felt  that  he 
was  a  great  deal  better  than  the  common  people  who  had 
no  time  to  study  the  law  and  the  interpretations  of  the 
law  which  had  been  made  by  the  rabbis  of  the  preceding 
centuries.  He  thought  that  he  had  reached,  or  nearly 
reached,  the  limits  of  religious  experience  and  spiritual 
growth,  when  he  had  really  hardly  begun  to  grow  at  all. 
How  changed  was  all  this  when  Paul  came  to  know  Jesus, 
and  thus  to  know  himself!  He  no  longer  despised  those 
who  knew  less  about  the  law  than  he  did.  He  saw  that 
a  knowledge  of  the  law  was  of  no  value  in  itself.  He  lost 
the  idea  that  he  was  nearly  perfect  and  proclaimed  him¬ 
self  less  than  the  least  of  the  apostles.  He  became  full  of 
a  noble  discontent  with  his  spiritual  condition  and,  count¬ 
ing  himself  not  to  have  laid  hold  on  the  soul  development 
which  he  saw  to  be  possible,  he  began  to  press  on  toward 
the  goal. 

Through  Jesus,  God  Calls  Us  to  Service.  Paul’s  first 
question  after  his  conversion  was,  “Lord,  what  wilt  thou 
have  me  to  do?”  (A.  V.)  Up  to  that  time  service  had  not 
been  Paul’s  aim.  He  had  been  thinking  selfishly.  Pie  had 


286  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


been  trying  to  make  himself  one  of  the  leading  men  of 
the  Jewish  religion.  From  the  moment  Paul  came  to 
know  Jesus,  not  self  but  the  service  of  his  fellow  men 
became  his  life  goal. 

A  life  dedicated  to  service  usually  means  a  life  of  self- 
sacrifice.  Paul  tells  us  that  he  suffered  the  loss  of  all 
things  for  the  sake  of  becoming  a  follower  of  Jesus  and 
for  the  sake  of  helping  others  to  know  about  the  religion 
of  Jesus.  Paul’s  great  life  task  was  revealed  to  him  in 
rough  outlines  in  the  hour  of  his  conversion.  He  saw 
the  sublime  possibilities  in  the  power  of  the  religion  of 
Jesus  to  win  the  Gentile  nations  to  a  knowledge  of  the 
truth.  He  felt  the  call  to  devote  his  life  to  this  great  task. 

Others  besides  Paul  have  been  called  of  God  in  the 
same  way.  A  humble  cobbler  in  England  came  to  know 
God  as  he  is  revealed  in  Jesus  and,  through  his  Son,  God 
called  that  cobbler  to  become  a  missionary  to  India  in  an 
age  when  missionary  effort  was  almost  unknown.  A 
Japanese  boy  found  a  fragment  of  the  New  Testament 
and  learned  to  read  it.  That  fragment  told  him  some¬ 
thing  about  Jesus.  He  came  to  know  the  Saviour  of  the 
world  and,  through  his  Son,  God  called  the  Japanese  lad 
to  establish  a  Christian  college  in  Japan.  So  we  might 
name  hundreds  of  people  who  have  lived  great  and  useful 
lives  and  have  accomplished  great  tasks  and  we  might 
point  out  how  Jesus  was  the  inspiration  and  the  guide  to 
them  in  all  that  they  accomplished ;  in  other  words,  we 
would  find  that  God  called  these  people  through  his  Son. 
Indeed,  it  is  hard  to  see  how  God  can  call  anyone  to  a 
truly  great  and  useful  life  task  in  any  other  way. 

Through  His  Son,  God  Calls  Us  to  Become  Like  Him¬ 
self.  The  goal  and  prize  for  which  Paul  was  pressing  on 
was  the  priceless  possession  of  Christlike  character.  He 
had  caught  the  idea  that  it  was  possible  for  him  to  become 
like  his  Master.  He  had  come  to  see  that  it  was  vastly 
more  important  to  be  something  than  merely  to  have 
something.  Paul  felt  that  he  had  made  so  little  progress 
toward  the  goal  of  Christlike  character  that  he  could  not 
claim  to  have  even  laid  hold,  but  as  we  study  the  life  of 
the  apostle  we  are  able  to  put  a  more  generous  estimate 
on  his  spiritual  growth. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  287 


Paul  became  more  and  more  like  Jesus  in  his  purposes. 
He  recalled  a  place  in  his  experience  where  the  establish¬ 
ment  of  God’s  Kingdom  in  the  world  was  the  great 
object  of  his  life.  In  becoming  like  Jesus,  Paul  was  be¬ 
coming  like  God.  Paul  became  more  and  more  like  Jesus 
in  his  sympathy.  As  a  young  man  and  a  chief  Pharisee, 
he  was  proud  and  cold.  As  an  old  man  and  a  missionary, 
he  was  a  friend  to  the  Gentile  and  the  slave  whom  he 
would  have  despised  in  his  youthful  days.  Paul, became 
more  and  more  like  Jesus  in  his  purity  of  soul.  He 
learned  to  rule  his  bodily  appetites.  In  saying  to  young 
Timothy,  “Keep  thyself  pure,”  he  was  not  preaching  that 
which  he  did  not  himself  practice. 

Other  New  Testament  writers  besides  Paul  have  real¬ 
ized  that  this  growth  in  Christlike  character  is  one  of 
the  most  precious  inheritances  of  the  Christian.  John  the 
apostle  in  writing  on  this  subject  said:  “Beloved,  now  are 
we  children  of  God,  and  it  is  not  yet  made  manifest  what 
we  shall  be.  We  know  that,  if  he  shall'be  manifested,  we 
shall  be  like  him ;  for  we  shall  see  him  even  as  he  is.’'’ 
I  John  3  :2. 

Through  Jesus,  God  Calls  Us  to  Eternal  Life.  When 

speaking  to  God  in  that  great  prayer  recorded  in  the 
seventeenth  chapter  of  John,  Jesus  said,  “And  this  is  life 
eternal,  that  they  should  know  thee  the  only  true  God, 
and  him  whom  thou  didst  send,  even  Jesus  Christ.”  In 
speaking  of  the  eternal  life  which  his  disciples  should 
gain  through  knowing  God  and  himself,  Jesus  was  think¬ 
ing  of  something  besides  an  endless  life  after  death.  He 
was  evidently  thinking  of  a  life  into  which  we  gradually 
enter  as  we  come  to  know  God  as  he  is  revealed  in  his 
Son.  So  it  is  possible  for  men  and  women,  boys  and  girls, 
to  be  constantly  entering  into  eternal  life  here  and  now. 
As  we  come  to  know  Jesus,  and  come  to  know  God  as 
Jesus  reveals  him  to  us,  we  are  gaining  qualities  of  char¬ 
acter  which  will  last  forever;  we  are  entering  eternal 
life. 

Thu  Lesson  Prayer 

We  thank  thee,  our  Father  in  heaven,  for  the  spiritual 
truths  which  we  have  learned  as  we  have  been  studying 


288  PAUL,  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


the  life  of  Paul.  We  thank  thee  for  the  opportunity  to 
make  our  lives  count  for  righteousness  and  truth.  We 
thank  thee  that  we  can  know  thee  as  thou  art  revealed 
in  the  life  and  teachings  of  Jesus,  thy  Son.  Grant  that  all 
the  world  may  come  to  know  about  the  Saviour  of  man¬ 
kind.  Bless  the  missionaries  who  are  teaching  in  pagan 
lands.  Teach  thy  people  to  support  this  work  generously 
with  their  money  and  their  prayers.  Help  us  to  become 
like  Jesus.  Show  us  how  to  be  like  him  in  our  homes,  in 
school,  and  at  play.  We  pray  that  our  lives  may  be  dedi¬ 
cated  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  Kingdom  of  justice  and 
righteousness  on  earth.  We  ask  these  things  in  the  name 
of  Jesus.  Amen. 

Supplemental  Missionary  Story 

“On  the  Desert  Camel  Trail.”  “The  Book  of  Mission¬ 
ary  Heroes,”  page  260. 


EXPRESSION AL  SESSION 

FELLOWSHIP  WITH  JESUS  THE  SUPREME  NECES¬ 
SITY  IN  A  GREAT  AND  USEFUL  LIFE 

John  15  : 1  -16 

Our  Scripture  lesson  is  a  part  of  the  farewell  discourse 
of  Jesus  with  his  disciples.  He  was  leaving  them  a  sub¬ 
lime  task,  a  task  which  they  could  carry  on  only  if  they 
lived  great  and  devoted  lives.  Jesus  was  giving  his  dis¬ 
ciples  his  farewell  lesson  and  it  was  a  lesson  on  the  impor¬ 
tance  of  a  close  fellowship  with  himself.  He  taught  these 
men  that  there  could  be  no  truly  great  and  useful  life  for 
anyone  unless  that  person  lived  in  fellowship  with  the 
Saviour  of  men.  Let  us  note  a  few  of  the  truths  which 
Jesus  taught  his  disciples  in  this  last  lesson  which  he 
gave  to  them. 

Cleanness.  Jesus  spoke  first  of  cleanness  of  life.  There 
can  be  no  great  and  useful  life  if  the  life  is  not  clean. 
“Every  branch  in  me  that  beareth  not  fruit,  he  taketh  it 
away :  and  every  branch  that  beareth  fruit,  he  cleanseth 
it,  that  it  may  bear  more  fruit.  Already  ye  are  clean 
because  of  the  word  which  I  have  spoken  unto  you.” 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  289 


There  can  be  no  great  and  useful  living  if  unclean 
thoughts  occupy  the  mind,  if  unclean  words  are  upon  the 
tongue,  if  unclean  acts  are  a  part  of  one’s  activity. 

Power.  Jesus  spoke  of  power.  He  told  his  disciples 
plainly  that  apart  from  him  they  could  do  nothing.  His 
words  are  just  as  true  for  us  as  they  were  for  his  dis¬ 
ciples.  Apart  from  Jesus  we  cannot  do  anything  that  is 
really  lasting  and  useful.  Through  fellowship  with  Jesus 
we  lay  hold  upon  limitless  powers.  “If  ye  abide  im  me, 
and  my  words  abide  in  you,  ask  whatsoever  ye  will,  and  it 
shall  be  done  unto  you.”  We  should  remember  that  this 
is  a  conditional  statement.  We  may  ask  what  we  will 
and  it  shall  be  done,  if  we  abide  in  Jesus  perfectly  and 
his  words  abide  fully  in  us. 

Love.  Love  has  been  called  “the  greatest  thing  in  the 
world.”  John  went  a  step  further  and  wrote,  “God  is 
love.”  The  great  and  useful  life  is  a  life  filled  by  love. 
It  is  through  fellowship  with  Jesus  that  the  life  enters 
into  a  love  like  that  of  God.  “Even  as  the  Father  hath 
loved  me,  I  also  have  loved  you:  abide  ye  in  my  love.” 

Joy.  A  great  and  useful  life  attains  a  joy  which  is 
vastly  above  the  joy  which  can  be  gained  in  selfish 
pleasure-seeking.  We  believe  that  the  life  of  Jesus  was  a 
joyful  life.  Those  who  live  in  fellowship  with  Jesus  enter 
into  the  joy  of  their  Lord.  “These  things  have  I  spoken 
unto  you,  that  my  joy  may  be  in  you,  and  that  your  joy 
may  be  made  full.” 

Lasting  Accomplishment.  No  life  is  truly  great  if  it 
accomplishes  nothing  of  lasting  benefit.  Napoleon  real¬ 
ized  this  when  he  was  a  prisoner  on  the  island  of  St. 
Helena  and  remembered  that  the  empire  which  he  had 
erected  had  fallen  to  pieces.  Martyrs  have  gone  gladly 
to  death  because  they  knew  that  they  were  lighting 
torches  which  could  never  be  extinguished.  “I  shall  not 
all  die,”  was  the  triumphant  statement  of  a  poet  who  had 
written  verses  which  he  knew  would  be  treasured  for¬ 
ever.  Jesus  wished  his  disciples  to  live  lives  which  would 
bring  forth  abiding  results.  He  knew  that  this  could  be 
only  as  they  had  fellowship  with  him.  “Ye  did  not  choose 
me,  but  I  chose  you,  and  appointed  you,  that  ye  should  go 
and  bear  fruit,  and  that  your  fruit  should  abide.” 


290  PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY 


Some:  Truths  from  the  Lessons  We  Have 

Been  Studying 

All  that  Paul  accomplished  of  real  and  lasting  value 
was  the  result  of  his  fellowship  with  Jesus.  He  could 
have  done  much  harm  without  that  fellowship  but  not 
any  real  and  permanent  good. 

Paul  was  an  obedient  and  willing  pupil.  He  never 
reached  the  place  where  he  ceased  to  learn  from  his  great 
Teacher. 

The  closer  and  more  constant  our  fellowship  with 
Jesus,  the  greater  and  more  useful  our  lives  will  be. 

Review  Questions 

« 

1.  In  what  sense  is  Jesus  always  present  with  his 
followers? 

2.  Why  is  it  important  that  our  lives  be  filled  with 
love  and  gratitude  rather  than  with  hatred  and  prejudice? 

3.  Why  is  it  good  for  us  to  take  Jesus  as  our  Master? 

4.  Name  instances  in  Paul’s  life  when  he  was  divinely 
guided. 

5.  What  did  Paul  believe  about  Jesus? 

6.  What  effect  did  these  beliefs  have  on  Paul’s  life 
and  conduct? 

7.  Why  is  it  important  for  us  to  have  right  ideas 
about  God? 

8.  As  we  come  to  know  about  Jesus,  does  our  ac¬ 
quaintance  with  him  help  us  to  understand  ourselves 
better?  Give  proofs  of  your  answer. 

9.  In  what  ways  can  we  become  like  Christ? 

10.  Name  some  qualities  of  character  which  are  de¬ 
veloped  through  fellowship  with  Jesus. 

Bibee  Verses 

I  Cor.  1:9;  12:27;  Phil.  2:1,  2;  3:10;  II  Cor.  4:11;  Col. 
1 :9,  10 ;  3  :9,  10 ;  I  John  1 :6,  7 ;  2 :6. 

Study  Topics 

1.  What  Fellowship  with  Jesus  Did  for  John  the 
Disciple. 

2.  What  Fellowship  with  Jesus  Did  for  Peter. 


PAUL  THE  TRAVELER  AND  MISSIONARY  291 

3.  What  One  Day’s  Fellowship  with  Jesus  Did  for  a 
Publican.  Luke  19:1-10. 

4.  Why  Being  a  Disciple  of  Jesus  Did  Not  Make  the 
Life  of  Judas  Great  and  Useful. 

5.  What  Fellowship  with  Jesus  Did  for  Matthew. 

6.  What  We  Must  Do  in  Order  that  We  May  Have 
Fellowship  with  Jesus. 

7.  Is  Fellowship  with  Jesus  Possible  Through  Church 
Fellowship?  Matt.  18:20. 

8.  Fellowship  with  Jesus  Found  in  Serving  Our  Fel¬ 
low  Men.  Matt.  25  :34-40. 

9.  Why  Fellowship  with  Jesus  Helps  a  Person  to  Live 
a  Great  and  Useful  Life. 

10.  What  Jesus  Meant  When  He  Said,  “I  Am  with 
You  Always.” 

The:  Lesson  Truth  Expressed  in  a  Law 

The  Law  of  Divine  Fellowship.  Those  who  have  lived 
great  and  useful  lives  have  had  fellowship  with  God 
through  his  Son.  We  desire  that  our  lives  may  be  great 
and  useful.  Therefore : 

1.  We  will  strive  to  live  the  Christian  life,  knowing 
that  if  we  walk  in  the  light  as  God  is  in  the  light,  we  shall 
have  fellowship  with  him  in  his  Son. 

2.  We  will  seek  fellowship  with  Jesus  by  being  faith¬ 
ful  members  of  his  Church,  thus  entering  into  the  fellow¬ 
ship  of  worship  with  the  people  of  God. 

3.  We  will  seek  fellowship  with  Jesus  by  entering 
into  the  service  of  our  fellow  men,  knowing  that  thus  we 
are  working  for  him  and  with  him. 

(To  be  used  in  a  Decision-Day  service  and  subscribed 
to  by  all  pupils  willing  to  accept  Christ  and  unite  with 
the  Church.) 

Projects  eor  Putting  the  Lesson  Truths 

Into  Practice 

Make  this  closing  meeting  of  the  course  a  Decision  Day 
in  which  pupils  are  given  an  opportunity  to  confess  their 
faith  in  Christ,  unite  with  the  Church,  reconsecrate  them¬ 
selves  to  the  Christian  life,  or  enlist  in  some  form  of 
active  Christian  service. 


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